


Heartbeat and Bone

by thespiritofcuriosity



Series: Fall For You [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Please Forgive me, You Have Been Warned, and a whole bunch of ocs who are way out of context, canon divergent kind of, featuring victoire/teddy in the background sometimes, i pretty much pick and choose what i accept as canon after the epilogue of DH, so this won't fit with anything she released after it but w/e, this thing is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-08-17 11:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 97,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8142271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespiritofcuriosity/pseuds/thespiritofcuriosity
Summary: It would be a stretch to say that Rose Weasley's relationship with Scorpius Malfoy was normal by any means, but that didn't mean that they weren't friends.Then seventh year happened.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on FF.net.

The first time Rose Weasley saw Scorpius Malfoy she was eleven years old, standing on the platform at King’s Cross where she was to board the Hogwarts Express. Her father pointed him out, the boy with the light blond hair and silver eyes, and told her that she was supposed to beat him in everything. Though he had softened on it somewhat, Ron’s disdain for the Malfoys was nothing new, and Rose thought little of his remark. What was slightly more unusual was what happened when her mother pulled her aside a few moments later.

"See what he's like. Don't judge too quickly," Hermione said. Her expression was even, but Rose saw something flicker in her eyes as she spoke.

Rose nodded, stood on her toes so that she could kiss Hermione's cheek, and reached for the handle of her trunk. "The train leaves in five minutes."

Hermione smiled. "It most certainly does. Say goodbye to your brother, Rosie."

Rose held out her arms. Hugo rolled his eyes, but he hugged her a moment later. She squeezed him tightly and then ruffled his hair. "Bye, pest."

"Bye, dork," he said, sticking his tongue out at her.

Ron chuckled. "It’s going to be a while before you see each other again. Be nice."

"We are," Rose said. "Bye, Dad."

Ron opened his arms so that Rose could hug him. "We'll see you at Christmas, and make sure you write us."

"I will," Rose said. "I promise."

"Good," Ron said. “Bye, Rosie.”

Rose smiled. She hugged each of her family members one more time, and then made her way down the train, trunk and owl cage in hand.

"Rose!" She stopped and turned to see Victoire standing there in a t-shirt and shorts, a wide smile on her face and her Head Girl badge pinned to her shirt.

"Hi, Vic," Rose said, glancing up and down the platform. "I need to find a compartment. Do you—"

"That's exactly why I wanted your attention," Victoire said. "I'm going to be in the Heads' carriage with my friends, but Al has claimed a compartment very close to ours, and James and company are just across the corridor. I'm fairly sure Louis and Max have a compartment close by as well. I can show you where Al is, if you'd like."

"If you wouldn’t mind," Rose said, biting her lip.

Victoire's smile widened. "Sure thing."

She took Aella's cage from Rose and led the redheaded girl down the length of the train to the front of it. As they walked, Victoire greeted various students, and she only stopped when they came to a compartment only three doors down from the door emblazoned with a giant H and the Hogwarts crest. Victoire slid the door open and led Rose inside. Al sat there with two dark-haired, grey-eyed twins, a girl with dark hair and a round face, and a sandy-haired boy that Rose didn't recognize. She smiled at the familiar faces, and gave Victoire a quick hug in thanks after they stowed her trunk and Aella's cage on the luggage rack. Victoire nodded to everyone else in the compartment and then let herself out into the corridor as Rose sat down beside the dark-haired girl.

"Rose!" the girl said.

"Hi, Alice," Rose said, smiling. “Hi, Al, Lorcan, Lysander.”

"Hey, Rose," Al said. He gestured to the sandy-haired boy. "This is Trent Alexander."

"You're Vic's friend Jade's brother, right?" Rose asked. He nodded. "She’s mentioned you a few times. I'm Rose."

Trent smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Rose said. She glanced across the compartment to where the twins sat. “What?”

They were grinning at her, their smiles identical aside from the fact that the boy on the left had two dimples while the boy on the right only had one.

"Long time, no see, Weasley," said the boy on the left.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I know, Lorcan, but to be fair, you weren't at dinner at Uncle Harry's last week."

"Mum and Dad were busy," Lorcan said

"Not that it really matters," Lysander said. "We're going to Hogwarts!"

"And it's fantastic," Alice said.

Rose nodded and looked out the window as the train began to move. "You can say that again."

After the food trolley came past a while later, James and a few others came into the compartment and began a rousing game of Exploding Snap. Rose alternated between playing and looking out the window as they sped through the countryside. The sky grew progressively darker as they journeyed, and when it came time to disembark from the train, a multitude of stars were gleaming overhead. Rose followed Al down the platform to where a large man stood, his smile visible even beneath his beard.

"Another Weasley an' a Potter," he said. "An' a Longbottom! Welcome t' Hogwarts."

"Hi, Hagrid," Rose said, accepting his hug.

Al and Alice did likewise, and they waited patiently beside him for the rest of the first-years to join the group so they could leave for the lake. As they boarded the boats down at the shoreline, she caught a glimpse of Scorpius Malfoy getting into a boat by himself. Lorcan and Lysander followed him on a moment later, the darkness hiding their faces. She lost sight of them as the boats began to move, but all thoughts of the blond-haired boy faded from her mind at the sight of Hogwarts.

She'd been there before, of course, for the anniversary speeches for the Battle of Hogwarts and other things, but she had never seen the castle quite as it appeared in that moment. The windows glowed with light, casting their reflection on the water, and the towers rose into the sky to join the stars. As the boats touched onto the shore, she blinked rapidly, and once they were given the signal, she followed Al out of the boat. The grandeur of the castle was enough to stun the first-years into silence, and they filed into a line as they made their way up the stairs.

They were greeted in the entrance hall by Neville, who broke his Assistant Headmaster facade long enough to wink at Rose and her friends before leading all of the first-years into a room off of the Great Hall. They stood there quietly for a few minutes before they were organized into an alphabetized line. Rose found herself sandwiched between Ellis Warrington, an intimidating looking girl with blonde hair and piercing brown eyes, and Olivia Webb, a petite brown-haired girl with grey eyes. They waited for a few moments, and then Neville led them out into the Great Hall.

Rose searched the crowd for those she knew, and she smiled to herself when she saw the familiar red hair of Louis, Molly, and Lucy, the dark hair of James, Roxy, and Fred, the blonde hair of Dom and Vic, and the familiar faces of the Finnigan twins and all of Victoire's friends. Feeling considerably less nervous, she faced the front of the line again.

Trent and the two girls at the front were sorted into Gryffindor, and each hurried to the table as soon as the Sorting Hat shouted out their house. An olive-skinned boy with curly dark hair was the next to be sorted into Gryffindor, followed by a blonde-haired girl a while later. Only three names after her came Alice, and Rose held her breath as her friend scampered up to the stool so that her father could place the hat on her head.

After a moment, the rip at the brim opened, and the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose saw a smile flash across Neville's face before he called the next person to the stool. It was the blond-haired Malfoy, who fixed everyone with a defiant stare as he sat down. Neville lowered the hat onto his head. It had barely touched his hair before the rip opened.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose's eyes widened as Scorpius got off the stool and went to the Gryffindor table. Everyone else stared at him as he sat down, and he crossed his arms and stared back. Rose watched him, barely noticing when another girl was sorted into Gryffindor as well. She only turned to face the front again when Neville called Al's name. Rose crossed her fingers as he sat down, and she let out a sigh of relief to match the expression on his face when the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

A few more were sorted before Neville reached the Scamander twins. They were sorted into Gryffindor with ease, and then only four people stood between Rose and the hat.

She felt herself grow stiffer and stiffer as the number of people in front of her dwindled, and when Neville called her name, it took all of her self-control to force herself to walk up to the stool. He offered her a reassuring smile before she turned around and sat down. Within moments, she felt the weight of the hat on her head.

"Hm," a voice said quietly. "Granger and Weasley. This is a new combination. You'd do well in Ravenclaw, you know, with your mother's brains, but... I think we'd better make it GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat shouted the last word, and Rose felt the tension drain from her shoulders as Neville lifted the hat off of her head. She ran down to join Al and her friends at the table, only to pause when she saw who he was sitting beside. Scorpius Malfoy met her gaze without hesitation, and after a moment, she nodded to him. He nodded in response, and with that, she sat down.

* * *

 

The autumn of second year found her sitting in the common room with Alice and their two other friends, Serena Ladley, a blonde-haired, hazel-eyed girl, and Helena Averly, a girl with beautiful dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Rose had her head bent over her Herbology textbook as Alice, Serena, and Helena watched Al and Scorpius battling it out at a game of wizard's chess. Much to Rose's dismay, Al had been quick to befriend the young Malfoy after the Sorting, and it hadn’t taken Scorpius long to begin to tease her relentlessly, though always with a smile on his face.

Rose didn't even bother to look up from her textbook as she said, "That's a dumb move."

Scorpius looked at her. She could feel his gaze on her. "Really? What would you do?"

"Well, if you must know, I'd move my bishop, not my knight," Rose said.

She didn’t have to be looking at his face to know that he rolled his eyes as he moved his knight up and to the left. Shaking her head, she turned the page in her book. A moment later, Al moved his queen, and the knight was taken out.

"Checkmate," Al said.

"I told you that you should have moved your bishop," Rose murmured. She looked up just in time to see Scorpius make a face at Al.

He turned to look at her a moment later. "Go back to your book, Red."

"Gladly," she said. "And don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, Red," Scorpius said, grinning. He turned to Al. "Want to go down to the pitch and toss the Quaffle around for a while?"

Al shrugged. "Might as well, if we want to be good enough to make the team next year. See you at dinner, Rose."

"Yeah," Rose said, her attention back on her Herbology textbook.

She heard the boys get up and leave, and a moment later, Serena sighed. "Scorpius is lovely, don't you think?"

Alice shrugged. "I've got more of an eye for Max, myself."

"What do you think, Rose?" Serena asked.

Rose looked up. "Scorpius Malfoy lives to make my life miserable, so I'm going to say no to that one, and I've known Max practically since I was a baby, so no."

"Knowing someone since you were little doesn't mean you can't fall in love with them," Alice said. "Haven't Victoire and Teddy known each other forever?"

"Since she was born, practically," Rose said. "I don't see how it matters."

"Well, they're proof," Serena said. "You can fall in love with someone you've known for ages."

"I'm with Rose," Helena said. "If you've known someone that long and you see them as a sibling, it would be kind of weird to fancy them, don't you think?"

"Exactly," Rose said.

Serena shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy. I still think Scorpius is lovely."

"I just wish he'd stop coming over to my house," Rose said, turning the page of her textbook.

"He's been at your house?" Helena asked. "Why?"

"Well, he and Al are best friends, obviously, and sometimes we have Uncle Harry and the family over for dinner, which sometimes involves Al bringing people along," Rose said, making a face. "Unfortunately, this means I saw Scorpius more often than I would have liked over the summer."

Alice winced. "Sorry, Rose."

"It's whatever," Rose said. "I'm hungry. Anyone fancy a trip to the kitchens?"

"I'm in," Serena said.

"Me too," Alice said.

They all looked at Helena. She shrugged. "Why not?"

* * *

 

Third year, Rose found herself partnered with the one person in the class she would have preferred to avoid for their Care of Magical Creatures project.

Scorpius dropped down into the seat beside her in the library five minutes before they were scheduled to meet. She was intent on her textbook, flipping through it to determine the best way to care for the Diricrawl they were meant to be looking after for the next few weeks. Every so often, she would make a note of something on the parchment to the right of the textbook, unconcerned with Scorpius’s presence.

Scorpius cleared his throat. When she didn't look up, he spoke. "Rose.” Nothing. “Weasley." She still didn't respond. "Red."

That caught her attention. She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes narrowing. "What?"

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

She fixed him with an even stare. Despite the fact that he got on her nerves and seemed to live to drive her mad, she couldn't ignore the fact that he had the second-highest average in their year (After her, of course). She fiddled with her quill for a moment before nodding. "The section on magical birds is over there. Go see if you can find the guide to Diricrawls. I tried, and Madam Vellan said it's there, but it seems to be missing."

"Magical birds?" Scorpius said, grinning. "You'll have to introduce me to one. I hope she's attractive." When Rose rolled her eyes, his smile widened. "Only joking. Just give me a minute."

She shook her head as he got up and walked away, turning her attention back to her notes. He came back no more than forty-five seconds later, a book in his hand. He set it down on the table in front of her. "The _Introductory Guide to Diricrawls_."

"How did you find it that fast?" she asked skeptically.

"Have you ever heard of something called a summoning charm?" he asked.

She dropped her head to the table. "I'm an idiot."

"Yeah, you are, but don't worry," he said. "I've got enough brains for the both of us." He pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of his bag as she glared at him. It didn't take long for them to fall into a peaceful silence broken only by the sounds of their quills scratching against the parchment and pages turning.

By the end of an hour, they each had multiple sheets of notes in front of them. Rose put hers in her bag and paused before she stood up. "You actually do work and take it seriously, even though you're smart enough to pass without doing any of this, so... Why?"

Scorpius looked at her, and for once, his eyes were serious. "My dad wasn't too thrilled when he found out I was placed in Gryffindor. He loves me, don't get me wrong, and his perceptions of the houses have certainly changed since he was at school, but he still doesn't like Gryffindor and he wanted me to end up in Slytherin. I know he probably just wants me to prove everyone wrong about his house, but I think a Malfoy ending up in Slytherin again would just prove them right about something else."

Rose nodded. "My dad's the same way. Not about me ending up in Gryffindor, he was thrilled about that, but about Slytherin. He knows that it's not the same as it was when he was here, but old habits die hard and he still doesn't have any fondness for the house. I'm convinced that most of the reason why Al was frightened about the possibility of ending up in Slytherin was because Uncle Ron has never been particularly fond of it. Uncle Harry couldn't care less, but Uncle Ron's opinion matters to Al."

"As if Al would ever end up in Slytherin," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "He's a Gryffindor through and through."

"I know that, and you know that, but he wasn't quite sure then," Rose said. "I don't know if he is now either."

"If he isn't, he's an idiot," Scorpius said.

"Well, I'm the smart one in the family, so that's entirely possible," Rose said. She stood up and shouldered her bag. "See you, Scorpius."

He nodded. "Yeah, see you."

The next time she passed him in the corridor, they smiled at one another.

* * *

 

The summer following fourth year was an interesting one. Her parents organized a trip to the south of France with Harry and Ginny, and all of the kids were allowed to invite their friends along. As a result, Rose would be spending two weeks on the beach with Helena, Alice, and Serena, and Scorpius as well, thanks to Al.

They arrived in Marseilles on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, and were immediately greeted by Aunt Fleur's sister Gabrielle and her husband Caleb. Gabrielle kissed Ron on both cheeks, causing him to blush bright red and Hermione to shake her head and mutter "Veelas." Caleb and Gabrielle's two daughters, Antonia and Elizabeth, were there for a little while before they took a Portkey to London to spend two weeks visiting with Victoire and her family.

Gabrielle showed Rose to the room that she would be sharing with Serena. Helena and Alice were across the hall.

"This is going to be fun," Serena said as they unpacked their clothes.

Rose shrugged. "We'll see about that."

"Don't write the whole trip off before we even start doing anything," Serena said. "Come on, get out a swimsuit and let's go down to the beach. The water looks great. Who knows, maybe you'll finally get a tan this trip."

Rose laughed. "Yeah right. I'm going to turn into a mess of freckles, you know that as well as I do."

"And some guy will find them really cute and sweep you off your feet and you'll ride off into the sunset," Serena said. She grinned when Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm just kidding."

"I know," Rose said. "I just can't believe you guys are still playing that card."

"What, you don't want a white knight to come and rescue you?" Serena asked.

Rose shook her head. "As if. I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that," Serena said. She smiled a moment later. "Come on, let's get changed and then get Alice and Helena and go down to the beach."

They left the house once everyone had changed and followed the path down to the beach. As soon as the warm sand touched Rose's toes, she smiled. They laid their towels out on a thoughtfully constructed wooden platform that rose a few inches above the sand, leaving room on either side for Alice and Helena to lay down once they arrived. Rose lay down on the towel, her face to the sun, and closed her eyes. After a bit of sunbathing, Alice spoke.

"This is so nice. Thanks for inviting us, Rose."

"As if I'd come all the way down here without my best friends," Rose said. "This is lovely though, you're right."

"I'm going to have such a great tan by the time we leave," Serena said. "I think I could just stay in this spot forever."

Helena chuckled. "That might not be the best idea ever, Rena. You'd probably look like a lobster by the end of it."

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't be so great," Serena said. "I take it back. Still, I think I could stay here until dinner."

"I'm all for that idea," Rose said. "Maybe I'll look vaguely human once we get home instead of being ridiculously pale to the point of possible vampirism."

"Spend enough time in the sun, and even you can get a little bit of color," Alice said.

"I appreciated the vote of confidence, Ali," Rose said.

"I try," Alice said.

"I'm sure you do," Rose said. "I'm just glad that Gabrielle agreed to let us stay here."

"She's your aunt's sister, right?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Rose said. "She's Vic's aunt. She's a bit younger than Aunt Fleur though, so they weren't the closest growing up, and with them living here, they don't visit often, but she met Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry during the Triwizard Tournament, and ever since then, she's always loved seeing them. Mum hated it when she was younger, or so Dad says, but now she just thinks it's a bit silly."

"Why did she hate it?" Serena asked.

Helena laughed. "You know how guys react when they see Veela, Rena. Even a part-Veela can have quite the effect on them. I can't blame your mum for disliking it, Rose."

"Oh, she didn't just dislike it," Rose said. "She absolutely hated it. After a while though, she started to think it was funny how Dad just can't seem to shake their influence, even after knowing Aunt Fleur for all these years. He's a lot better with her than he used to be, or so I've been told, but he still gets flustered sometimes. The whole family finds it hilarious."

"I can imagine," Alice said. "I'll bet George finds it especially so."

"He would, if he weren't almost as bad," Rose said. "Teddy and Uncle Bill seem to be the only ones who are immune to it, and that's probably because the people they're in love with are part Veela."

"How are Teddy and Vic doing, anyway?" Helena asked. "I remember you saying that they got engaged, but not much more than that."

Rose smiled. "They're doing really well. They're both Aurors, they're living in a flat together, they have a cat named Minerva, much to Professor McGonagall's chagrin, and like you said, they got engaged back in May. Apparently he was going to wait to propose until the day that he gave her the promise ring that she has, but there was some mention of a near-death experience on a mission and deciding that they shouldn't wait, so it happened. I honestly think that it would have happened sooner, but she was insistent that she wouldn't be engaged until she was twenty, so he waited."

"They've got such a sweet story," Serena said. "I wish I had something like that."

"That's what you think," Rose said. "It was awful for them during the winter holidays of our first year. They were going to tell everyone once Vic was done with school, but then James saw them kissing and told Uncle Harry, and it spread after that, so they had to spend Christmas being pelted with questions from everyone. If it weren't for Uncle Bill stepping in and telling everyone to leave them alone, I really do think they would have left the party and gone back to their flat so that they wouldn't have to deal with it. I shouldn't have anything that bad, provided I don't date a Slytherin. If I did, I think my dad's head might explode. Speaking of relationships, what's up with you and Declan, Ali?"

Alice groaned. "Oh, Merlin, I don't know. The boy's an idiot. I thought he was going to ask me out before we left, but he chickened out at the last second and asked me if I was excited about the trip. Aidan said he would talk to him, but I don't know how much good that's going to do. You guys are so lucky that you don't have boy troubles."

"Oh yes, so lucky," Serena said. "Instead of an attractive Irish boy a year ahead who can be a bit thick sometimes, we get a bunch of pubescent boys with the maturity level of five year olds. It's the best thing."

"What she said," Helena said.

Rose made a face. "I think I'll stick to focusing on school for now. We've got O.W.L.s this year, and I'd like to be as focused as possible. I need to do well if I want to get into the Healer program."

"I'll stick to Herbology," Alice said. "It seems to run in the family, and Dad knows some people who can get me a position at St. Mungo's working with the potions department, so I'm set. I just need to keep my Potions and Herbology grades top-notch."

"You won't have any trouble with that," Serena said. "You Longbottoms are born to work with plants."

"Yeah, except that Dad can't brew a potion to save his life," Alice said. "I don't know who I got it from."

"Your grandparents, maybe?" Helena asked. "I'm going to be an Auror, if I can get into the program."

"Well, I'm going to join Rose on the Healer track," Serena said. "It's going to be difficult, but I want to help people."

"That's really the best reason for doing it," Rose said. "You have to care, because if you care, you'll work hard."

"Exactly," Alice said.

They fell silent after that, the sun warm on their faces. Rose was just beginning to drift off to sleep when someone grabbed her, picked her up, and sprinted down the beach. Her sunglasses flew off as the person carrying her ran, and she had just enough time to scream "SCORPIUS MALFOY!" before she hit the water.

When she surfaced, dripping wet, she glared at him. He held his hands up and grinned at her. "Okay, I know it wasn't nice, but you have to admit, it's funny."

She continued to glare at him, but he just smiled at her, and after a while she felt her control slipping as she began to smile and, once his smile widened, laugh. He had waded out and stood chest deep in the water. She walked up to him, smiling, and he held his arms out for a hug. She made to hug him, and at the last second, jumped on his back and shoved him underwater. When he surfaced, he brushed his hair out of his eyes and chuckled.

"I guess I deserved that, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you did."

The girls and Al joined them a few moments later, and they spent the rest of the day splashing in the surf.

* * *

 

Alice groaned and shoved her notes aside. "I can't do this anymore. It's driving me mad."

Helena nodded, closing her Transfiguration textbook. "I can feel the beginnings of a migraine. How about we go for a walk?"

"I'm in," Serena said. "Some sun will do me good, I think. I feel like I've gone as pale as a vampire."

Rose glanced at the blonde girl, whose tan complexion glowed even under the dim lighting of the library. "I don't think you need to be worry about being pale, Rena. You're not the redhead here."

"Be that as it may, I'd like to get some sun," Serena said.

"I think Declan said that he and the boys were going to be down by the lake," Alice said. "We could walk down there, if you want."

Serena raised her eyebrows. "Oh, Declan said?" When Alice ducked her head, Serena grinned. "I'm only kidding. You two have been dating since October. I just like messing with you. That sounds great."

"I'm coming," Helena said. "I can't take much more of this."

"You coming, Rose?" Alice asked.

Rose shook her head. "I need to go over my Defense notes again, and compare them with our textbook to make sure that they're accurate."

"As if they wouldn't be," Alice said. "You sure?"

"Yeah," Rose said. "I need to do this, or I'll drive myself crazy thinking about it later. Go, have fun. I'll come join you in a bit."

"All right," Alice said. "Don't stress yourself out too much, okay?"

Rose nodded. "I'll do my best."

The three other girls put their books in their bags and left the library. Rose pushed her book away from her, spreading her things out across the newly-vacated table. She bent her head over her Defense Against the Dark Arts notes and began to edit them with the help of a quill and her wand.

She didn't know how long it had been since she started working when she groaned and rested her head on the table, shoving her notes and book away from her in the process. Her head still on the table, she reached back to the bun on the back of her head, which had just about fallen out completely. She pulled the hair tie loose and allowed her hair to fall around her face as she sighed. After a few moments, someone spoke.

"Red?"

She groaned again. "Not now, Scorpius. I had patrol last night and I'm dead."

"You sure?" he asked. "Don't tell me I snuck food in the library for nothing."

She sat up. "You _what?"_

"Okay, maybe I charmed Madam Vellan into letting me bring it in here, but nobody needs to know that," Scorpius said. "The point is, you need to take a break before you go completely insane, and there's food ready to be eaten here."

She took the pastry that he held out to her and bit into it. "You're the best, but don't tell anyone I said that, and definitely don’t let it go to your head."

He grinned. "Don't worry. I won't. I've got Quidditch practice _and_ patrol tonight, so you can take pity on me tomorrow."

"Fat chance."

"I figured as much."

* * *

 

The end of sixth year came faster than Rose ever thought it would. It felt as though she was packing up her trunk as soon as the year started, ready to go home.

She shut the lid of her trunk and looked around the dormitory. It had been an interesting year. Victoire and Teddy had announced they would be getting married that July (it couldn't have been any sooner, due to their desire for a long engagement), she was finally of age, and—most importantly, though she wouldn't actually admit that—Scorpius Malfoy had been proven that he might be worthy of Head Boy-ship. He may have driven her mad, but there was no denying he was good at his job. He led the prefects, even those older than him, with an incredible ease, and she didn't think it would be too forward to say that they had actually formed a serious friendship over the course of their many patrols together that year.

She was pondering their newfound closeness when Helena leaned around the doorframe to look at her. "You ready to go?"

Rose glanced around the room. "Yeah, I think."

"Good," Helena said. "Everyone else is downstairs."

Rose followed her out of the dormitory and down to the common room, where they joined their friends. Al led the way out of the common room and down to the entrance hall, and they split themselves up between carriages so that they could go down to the station. The train ride back to King's Cross was filled with laughter on all sides, as well as a series of practical jokes courtesy of Lorcan and Lysander. Towards the end of the journey, Rose found herself staring out the window just as she had on their first trip to Hogwarts.

"What is it?"

She looked up to see Scorpius. The rest of their compartment had gone over to the Heads' carriage to see Louis and his girlfriend Quinn, who had been Head Girl that year, and it had been silent up until Scorpius spoke.

"I dunno," she said, shrugging. "It just feels odd, you know? We've only got one more year."

He sat down beside her. "Yeah, I know. It's strange. It feels like it was yesterday that I was looking at that imperious redheaded first year, and now look at you. Still redheaded, but not quite as arrogant as initially assumed."

"Scorpius Malfoy admitting I'm not arrogant?" Rose asked, though she grinned at him to let him know that she was joking. "What's happening to the world?"

He rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. "You could at least accept a compliment when I give it to you instead of turning it into something other than what it is."

"But where's the fun in that?" she asked.

He shrugged and stood up. "I don't know." When she didn't move, he sighed. "I'm going to head over to the Heads' carriage. Would you care to walk with me?"

She looked over at him to see that he was holding out his hand. After a moment, she put her hand in his and allowed him to help her to her feet. "I guess I probably should see Louis on his last Hogwarts train ride, huh?"

"Probably."

They left the compartment and started down the corridor. She paused after they'd passed into the next carriage. "Wait, shouldn't you be with Shannon or something?"

He shrugged. "I broke up with her last week."

"Scorpius, that's the fifth girl this year!"

"She's done with school. There was no point in us staying together."

"You're ridiculous."

"And that's why I have you to look out for me."

"Yeah, I'll bet."

Neither of them seemed to notice that he was still holding her hand.


	2. Chapter One

The sixth of July, 2023, should have been just like every other day in the middle of the summer holidays, spent out on the Quidditch pitch at Potter Manor with the cousins or swimming in the lake with Serena, Helena, and Alice. Instead, Rose was standing in the hallway at Shell Cottage as her family members and a number of people that she both did and did not recognize hurried around the house, fetching and carrying and yelling all the while. Her hair had been smoothed into loose, shiny curls, rather than the wavy mass that normally surrounded her head, and she wore a simple pale blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and a hem that reached her knees. Around her neck was a necklace that her parents had given her when she turned sixteen, and on her feet were a pair of plain grey heels.

She had just gone outside to see if she could go down to the beach to avoid the mess and help her father and uncles set up the chairs and tent when someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Teddy. He wore black dress robes, and his turquoise hair was slightly messy, as though he'd been running his fingers through it. He smiled weakly at her, and she had to hold back a laugh at how pitiful he looked.

"I got kicked out of the flat," he said. "Apparently I was driving Sam mad with my pacing. Can you do me a favor, Rosie?"

"That depends on what it is," Rose said. "You'll have to forgive me for saying this, but you look like hell, Teddy."

"I'm just nervous," Teddy said, smiling again. "I mean, I've been waiting for this, but I can't help but be nervous. Does that make sense?"

"You're getting married," Rose said. "Of course it makes sense. But remember, Vic loves you. We've all known this was coming practically since I was born. Breathe, Teddy. What's this favor that you need me to do for you?"

"Oh, right," Teddy said. He fumbled in his pockets for a moment and then passed her two small boxes. "Give those to Tori, if you wouldn't mind. One is from me, and the other is from my grandmother. She'll know what they are."

"Got it," Rose said. "Now, go back to your flat and tell Sam I sent you, and that it's too crazy over here to have a nervous groom running around, and that as your best man, it's his job to manage you, not ours, okay?"

"Okay," Teddy said. He hugged her quickly. "You're the best, Rosie."

She grinned. "I try. Go!"

He tugged on one of her curls and then Disapparated. She held the boxes securely in her hands as she entered the house. The noise level rose dramatically when she went inside, but it was quieter than it had been earlier. The only shouting she heard was that of Alexa, Victoire's best friend and maid of honor, attempting to restore some sort of order to the members of the wedding party and everyone else who was in the house. Rose walked down the hall until she reached Victoire's old bedroom and proceeded to open the door. Inside, Victoire stood in front of the mirror as her mother fussed with her hair (It was already perfectly curled in a style similar to Rose's, but Rose suspected that Fleur just wanted to have something to do). Victoire wore a long white gown with silver detailing, and she turned her head to look as Rose entered.

"Rose, what are you doing here?" she asked. Her blue eyes had been perfectly made up, and they seemed even more vibrant than normal as Rose approached her. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, Teddy seems like he's having a bit of a panic attack, but other than that, everything's fine," Rose said. She held out the boxes. "He wanted me to give these to you. He said that one was from him, and the other was from Andromeda."

Victoire smiled. "Well, give them here, then." Rose handed her the first, larger box. Victoire opened it to reveal a beautiful silver necklace with a delicate sapphire inlay. She lifted it out of the box and gaped at it. "I can't believe Andromeda... Rosie, held me put this on, would you?"

Rose nodded. She handed Victoire the other box and then did up the clasp of the necklace. "It's beautiful, Vic."

"It was Andromeda's, from a long time ago," Victoire said, her smile widening. "I used to covet it when I was little. I can't believe she remembered." She opened the other box and chuckled. "Well, that's fitting, I suppose." She held up a tiny silver charm in the shape of a bell. "Wedding bells. The little idiot." She fastened it onto her bracelet, which already bore a number of charms, and shook her head. "He's ridiculous. Someone remind me why I'm marrying him again?"

"Because you love him?" Rose said.

"And there it is," Victoire said. She looked at Rose in the mirror and smiled. "Thank you for bringing these to me, Rosie."

"They say you should always help the bride on her wedding day, but I think they forget about the completely frazzled groom," Rose said.

Victoire made a face. "He would be the one to get all worked up about this. Aren't I supposed to be the one who's panicking?"

Rose shrugged. "In convention, maybe, but since when have we ever been conventional?"

"That's what I thought," Victoire said. "How's everything going out there?"

"Mass hysteria, mostly," Rose said. "Alexa's doing her best to get everyone inside under control, and from what I saw for the few seconds that I was outside, the tent is up and they're working on the chairs and everything else now."

"Good," Victoire said. "That's good." She exhaled loudly. "Wow."

"Are you okay?" Rose asked. "You're starting to look a bit like Teddy did."

"It's just hard to believe it's actually happening," Victoire said. "We've been together for what, seven years now? I knew it was coming, but I kind of feel like I'm just dreaming this."

Rose grinned. "It's going to be fine, Vic. You two will go out there and say your vows and we'll all cry about how sweet it is, and then everything will go back to normal except for the fact that you'll have another ring on your finger." She rested her hand on Victoire's shoulder. "I'm going to go find Alice and Lily. Remember to breathe, and it's all going to be fine."

"I know," Victoire said. "Thanks, Rosie."

"Anytime," Rose said.

She smiled at her cousin once more and left the room. The noise level in the house had dropped, and when she went downstairs, Alexa was directing traffic to the appropriate locations. Rose grinned and went into the living room. Alice and Lily sat on the couch by the window, Lily wearing a dress the same color as Rose's. They let their conversation drop as Rose approached them and smiled at her instead.

"Hey there, Lil, Alice," Rose said, taking a seat on the end of the couch. "How's it been down here?"

"A madhouse," Lily said. She brushed a lock of red hair away from her brown eyes and smiled again. "How's Vic doing?"

"She's good," Rose said. "A bit nervous, but good. Better than Teddy, that's for sure."

"What's wrong with Teddy?" Alice asked.

Rose laughed. "Oh, he got kicked out of the flat by Sam because he was pacing too much. I told him to go back and tell Sam that we didn't have room for a panicking groom over here."

Lily shook her head. "Hopefully he'll make it to the ceremony without spontaneously combusting."

Rose glanced out the window to the area where the tent had been set up. Bill, Ron, Harry, and a few others had begun to levitate chairs inside to form rows that flanked the aisle. "As nervous as I think he is, I think the anticipation is going to overpower the nerves without any question. He wants this. They both do." She looked at Lily. "How much are you looking forward to having him as an official part of the family?"

Lily pulled her hair over her shoulder and began to braid a section of it. "It'll be good. I mean, he's practically family already, but having it be official will be fantastic. To be perfectly honest, I do think that Mum and Dad would have adopted him if it weren't for the fact that it would have been a bit weird for him to marry Vic then."

"People marry their cousins all the time, and Teddy and Vic aren't even blood relatives," Alice said.

"I know, but it would still be odd," Lily said. "Anyway, the only people who marry their cousins are people who are so caught up in blood purity that they'd rather face inbreeding than the possibility of a drop of non-magical blood entering their line. I'd hazard a guess that Teddy isn't one of those people, but I could be wrong."

"Besides, Ali, it's not like you need to worry about marrying your cousin, miss I've-been-in-a-serious-relationship-since-fifth-year," Rose said. "How's Declan doing, anyway? Is he coming to the wedding?"

Alice blushed. "Unless something has changed within the last hour, he's coming, and he's fine. He's finally starting to be able to do something other than brew potions at work, so he's thrilled about that."

"So he hasn't come to the conclusion that being a Healer requires too much grunt work and quit?" Rose asked. "That's good to hear."

"No, he's stuck it out so far," Alice said. "It helps that Monica is his boss."

"I'd imagine," Rose said. "Having connections is always useful, even if you're only using them for the sake of having a boss who isn't completely awful to work with."

"He said she's tough, but she's not unreasonable," Alice said. "I'd imagine that you have to be that way in order to be a Healer."

Rose shrugged. "Well, I suppose I'm going to find out soon enough."

"I'm surprised you didn't go the Auror route. Your family seems to have a fondness for that career path," Alice said. “I mean, look at you, Lily.”

Lily nodded. "Can you really blame us, though? Vic's always been great at Defense, so it was only natural that it would be something she would want to pursue, Roxy's always enjoyed dueling, and I'm Harry Potter's daughter. It's in our blood."

"I'm still a bit surprised Roxy didn't partner with Fred at the joke shop, honestly," Rose said. "I always thought she'd end up working on the more practical side of things, but I thought she'd end up there nonetheless."

"If there's one thing I've learned about Roxy, it's that there's absolutely no point in trying to predict what she's going to do," Lily said. "Remember that time that she came home with bright blue hair?"

Rose laughed. "Yeah, and all that Uncle George said to her was 'You couldn't have at least dyed it scarlet?'"

"Gryffindor pride is very important, Rosie."

Rose turned around. She let out a small scream and jumped up to hug the person who stood there. "Uncle Charlie!"

Charlie grinned and hugged her back. "Hey there."

"I thought you weren't supposed to arrive until right before the ceremony started," Lily said, jumping up to hug him as well.

"I wasn't, but Lianna convinced her mother to let us leave a few hours earlier than we were originally meant to, so here I am," Charlie said. He chuckled and shook his head. "She’s really taking one for the team coming with me to this. I’m going to owe her a thousand times over for going above and beyond best friend duty. How are Vic and Teddy doing?"

"Good," Rose said. "Nervous, but good."

Charlie laughed. "I can imagine. Remind me to never get married, Rosie. I think I'd go mad trying to deal with everything that goes along with it."

"I think you'd manage," Lily said. "You manage to deal with everything, Uncle Charlie."

"Merlin only knows how," Charlie said.

"Have you got any new dragons at work?" Lily asked.

"Someone thought it'd be a great idea to try to sneak an Antipodean Opaleye into the country, so we've been a bit busy dealing with that until we can get it sent home to New Zealand," Charlie said. "We've named her Molly."

"No," Lily said, her eyes widening. "You didn't."

Charlie smiled wickedly. "Oh, we did."

Rose glanced at Alice and nodded. As Charlie regaled Lily with tales of Molly the dragon, Rose went outside to the tent where the ceremony and reception were meant to take place. Ron was straightening one of the chairs when she entered, and he smiled at her.

"Hey, Rosie," he said. "Is everything all right?"

"Yeah," she said. "I just didn't realize how much work it took to organize a wedding."

Ron smiled wryly. "I must admit, if it hadn't been for your mother, I probably would have opted out of this one. I helped all of my brothers, and Harry. She insisted that was a perfect reason for me to help with this, seeing as I already know how to do it, so here I am."

"Is everything almost done in here?" Rose asked.

Ron nodded. "Nearly. The guests are due to start arriving in about twenty minutes, so we're just putting the finishing touches on everything. I'd get Lily in a few minutes and get ready to start showing everyone to their seats, all right?"

"Got it," Rose said. She hugged her father quickly and then left the tent.

The house was nearly empty when she went back inside, save for the few family members that were there and the bridesmaids. Alexa smiled at Rose as she came to a stop in the hallway. The maid of honor's black hair was done up into a beautiful updo, and she wore a silver floor-length dress and heels, just like the other bridesmaids.

"How's the Healer prep going, Rose?"

Rose made a face. "I've been studying everything I can get my hands on, but I'm not sure if it's going to be enough."

"That may be the case, but remember, Monica's scaled the ladder at St. Mungo's quite quickly, and you'll have Nick on your side too," Alexa said. "And if what Jade's heard from Maddie is true, you're going to be more than ready to take the exam. Apparently she knows everything that goes on in your family."

"She's best friends with Lily, so that hardly surprises me," Rose said. "They're practically joined at the hip when we're at school. It's a bit strange, really."

"We were pretty much the same," Alexa said. "Except there were five of us, not two."

"To be fair, Lex, I wasn't really part of the bunch until the end of fifth year," Jade said. "It was more like the four of you were joined at the hip and then Vic realized I wasn't so bad and then I joined in too."

Alexa waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Old news, we were pretty much joined at the hip for all of sixth and seventh year, so that's good enough."

"Well, that's true," Jade said.

Rose grinned. "Hogwarts was definitely fun my first year."

Alexa looked at Jade and laughed. "We did our best. I'm glad to hear that it paid off. Congrats on Head Girl, by the way."

"How did you find out?" Rose asked. "I only told the girls, Lil, and Al."

"Lily and Al both told Maddie, Maddie told Jade, Jade told us," Alexa said.

"As Alexa said, Maddie knows anything of importance when it comes to your family," Jade said, grinning. "And you can't really expect Al not to tell her these things. He's so besotted it's a bit ridiculous, really. I'm waiting to see if they'll break Teddy and Vic's record for getting engaged."

"They won't," Rose said. "I know Al, and he's said he wants to have dated the person for at least five years before he even thinks about marrying them. It's not like he has the same background with Maddie as Teddy has with Vic. They've known each other forever. Al only really started talking to Maddie when he was a fourth year, and that was only really when he was with Trent and she was there too."

"Fair enough," Jade said. "It'll still be interesting to see how long it takes."

"I agree," Rose said. "He really does like her a lot, that's definitely true."

"What about you?" Alexa asked, grinning. "Do you have anyone right now?"

Rose shook her head. "Merlin, no. I'm just trying to focus on school. If the right person comes along, maybe, but at the moment I just want to make it through this year with grades that are so good that I'm as close to guaranteed a spot in the Healer program as a person can get."

"Hey, if you need any tips, there are certainly enough of us around to help you out," Alexa said. "Feel free to write me whenever, okay? I'm sure Monica would say the same."

Rose smiled. "Thanks."

Alexa nodded. "Anytime." She glanced at the clock on the wall. "The guests will start getting here in a couple minutes. I'd find Lily, if I were you."

"That's what I was just about to do," Rose said. "Tell Vic I said good luck."

"We will," Jade said.

Rose went back into the living room. Alice and Lily were still sitting there, though Charlie had disappeared.

Lily stood up when she saw Rose. "Is it time?"

"Just about," Rose said. "Are you good to handle Floo duty?"

"I've got it," Lily said. "Dom's around here somewhere, she's going to direct traffic from the Apparation point to you."

"All right," Rose said. "We're going to keep this as organized as possible, so send them along as soon as they get here, okay?"

"Will do," Lily said. "See you out there."

"Yeah," Rose said. "Alice, are you going to go sit down?"

"I'm heading to the Apparation point," Alice said. "I'm meeting Declan."

"Of course," Rose said. "Well, see you when he gets here."

Alice nodded. "Yeah."

Rose went out to the entrance to the tent. A few minutes later, Al moved to stand on the other side of the entrance. He glanced at her as he straightened his dress robes.

"Are we having fun yet?"

She looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Al, the guy who is practically your brother is getting married today. You could at least pretend that you're having a good time."

Al made a face. "I'd have a better time if I didn't have to wear these damn things."

"What, dress robes aren't your style?" Rose asked.

"Robes in general aren't really my style," Al said. "I prefer my normal clothes, thank you."

"I take great pleasure from the fact that wizards have adopted Muggle clothing as normal everyday wear," Rose said. "It's fantastic, given what happened twenty-some years ago."

"Things change," Al said. He groaned. "I really wish I didn't have to do—Hello, Oliver, Katie."

"Are you making noise about not wanting to have to help with your cousin's wedding?" Katie asked. "Albus Potter, I thought you'd have better manners than that."

"I do believe my parents did too," Al said, grinning. "Let me show you to your seats."

He escorted them inside the tent as Rose waited for the next guests to arrive. She smiled when she saw who was walking towards her, and was immediately gathered in a hug.

"Hi, Uncle Neville, Aunt Hannah, Cole," she said, once she was released from Neville and Hannah's grasp. "How are you?"

"Better now that I've seen you," Neville said, smiling. "I hope everything has been going well this summer?"

"As well as can be expected with this year being N.E.W.T.s," Rose said. "Please, let me show you where to sit."

She led them inside the tent as Neville spoke. "Congratulations on making Head Girl, Rose."

Rose grinned. "Of course you knew about that."

"Knew about it?" Neville asked. "I recommended you for the position."

"I'd have made him do it if he hadn't," Hannah said. "I can't think of anyone better to have that position, Rose."

"Thank you," Rose said, smiling. "I'm flattered to have it, honestly. Skylar would have been a fantastic candidate, and Whitney isn't half-bad either."

"No fondness for Miranda, then?" Neville asked.

"I wouldn't say that I don't like her," Rose said. "She's perfectly nice, I just don't think she has the organizational skills required by a Head."

"We felt the same," Neville said. "You'll do an excellent job."

"I'm going to try to, anyway," Rose said. "Here are your seats."

She was hugged once more by Neville and Hannah before they sat down, and when she returned outside, Al wasn't there. He joined her a few moments later, running his hand through his hair.

"I think I might die by the end of this."

She laughed. "It's not that bad, Al."

"You're not wearing dress robes," he said.

She glanced at him. "Maybe not, but I am wearing heels, and let me tell you, I don't think you'd enjoy it very much."

"Probably not," he said. "Regardless, I'm suffering in dress robes in this absolutely horrid heat, and you don't have to deal with the pain that comes with wearing multiple layers."

"You're such a poor thing," Rose said. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards."

They continued to lead guests into the tent for the better part of an hour, and once they checked the last one off the list that Al had tucked inside of his pocket, they made their way to the family's seats at the front of the tent. Teddy and Vic had done away with separating everyone based on who they were there for, stating that their family and friends were one and the same so it seemed pointless to break everyone up. Instead, their relatives had taken the seats towards the front, leaving everyone else to fill in behind. Rose waved at Alice before she took her seat beside Hugo, who was tugging at the collar of his dress robes.

"You all seem to really hate those," Rose said, glancing at him.

"That's because we do," Hugo said. "They're so hot, and stiff. It's a nightmare, honestly."

"Well, fortunately I never have to find out," Rose said. She fell silent a moment later as Teddy and his groomsmen filed out onto the raised platform in front of them, followed closely by none other than the Minister for Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt. His presence was unsurprising to Rose, who had heard the stories about how following Voldemort's downfall, Kingsley had insisted on officiating the wedding ceremonies of every Weasley who had yet to get married, as well as a few of their friends.

As soon as they had all taken their places on the platform, a song began to play. Alexa led the way down the aisle, with Molly, Monica, and Jade following behind her. They took up their positions on the platform, and then the music changed. Rose, as well as a number of other guests, gasped at the sight of Victoire, who had her hand hooked through Bill's elbow. There was a wide smile on her face as they made their way down the aisle, and Bill kissed her forehead before he passed her hand to Teddy. Teddy mouthed something to her as she took her place opposite him, and she smiled.

Rose paid little attention to the ceremony until they reached the vows, at which point she sat up in her chair and trained her gaze on her cousin and the boy she had known since she was born.

Victoire spoke first. "Teddy, I've known you for as long as I can remember, and quite honestly even longer still. You've made me laugh until I cried, and even though you can be a right overprotective git sometimes, you've been there when it counted. You've always supported me and been the best friend I could ask for—sorry, Lexa—and I couldn't ask for a better person to spend the rest of my life with. I promise that no matter what happens and no matter how ridiculous we may be sometimes, I'll always be there for you, I'll always help you, I'll always call you out when you're being stupid, and I'll always love you, to the moon and back."

Teddy blinked at her for a moment before a smile spread across his face. "Tori, I remember the first day I saw you. Harry and Ginny wanted to see their niece, and I didn't want to go, because I thought you'd be boring, and to be perfectly honest, you sort of were for a while there. I had absolutely no idea that the tiny little girl lying in Fleur's arms was going to have me wrapped around her finger before she could even talk, much less that I'd end up marrying her. I know I can be an idiot sometimes, and I know that we're going to have our disagreements, but I also know that we're capable of getting through anything. I promise you that regardless of where I go, what I do, what choices we make, or where life takes us, I'm yours, and I love you, to the moon and back."

She smiled again as Kingsley called for the rings. Alexa passed one to Victoire, Sam one to Teddy, and the couple exchanged them. Kingsley waved his wand above their heads, and a shower of sparks fell over them. They turned to face their guests, their hands joined, and Rose wiped a tear from her eye before she began to clap along with everyone else.

"If you would all rise," Teddy said, his voice carrying over the applause. The guests did as he asked, and he, along with Bill, Charlie, Percy, George, Ron, and Harry, waved their wands. The chairs flew to the sides of the tent as the walls fell away and tables floated out into the areas along the outer edge of the floor. He grinned. "We took a bit of inspiration from my lovely wife's parents, so if this looks familiar to any of you, that's why."

There was a bit of laughter from the guests as Teddy and Victoire made their way down from the platform, followed by the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Once Kingsley left the platform, he waved his wand, and it decreased in size until it was just large enough for the band that moved onto it. The guests moved to the sides of the floor, and Victoire and Teddy began their first dance.

Rose stood with Lily and Alice by one of the tables for the duration of the dance, only to be left alone by them when their respective boyfriends approached. She took a flute of butterbeer from one of the trays that was floating around the room and sipped on it, her gaze locked on the dancing couples.

She nearly dropped the flute when someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she set it on the table before turning around to see a young man with a very familiar grin, blond hair, grey eyes, and a small scar across his left eyebrow.

"You prat," she said, smacking him on the shoulder. "I nearly dropped that!"

Scorpius's grin widened. "That rhymed."

She rolled her eyes. "Can I help you?"

"You looked bored, so I thought I'd ask you to dance," he said.

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure there's no ulterior motive here?"

He stuck out his lower lip and pretended to pout. "I thought we were friends, Red." When she simply tilted her head, he lifted his hands. "Honest, I'm just trying to be nice, but if you'd rather I left you here..."

She shook her head. "Merlin, no. I'm bored out of my mind."

He smiled and held out his hand. "I thought as much."

She watched him for a moment, shook her head, and placed her hand in his. "Don't make me regret this."

He pulled her out onto the dance floor and laid his free hand on her waist as she placed hers on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Red, I think you'll find that I'm a rather good dancer."

"I wasn't talking about your dancing skills," she said as they began to move.

She looked over his shoulder until he spoke. "So, I hear you made Head Girl. Congratulations."

"Let me guess," she said, looking at him. "Al told you."

He grinned. "Who else?"

"I've got to stop telling him things," she said, shaking her head. "Thank you, though."

"Any idea who the Head Boy is going to be?" he asked.

She shook her head again. "Unfortunately, no. I'm just hoping that whoever it is won't be awful to share a dormitory with, because if they are, I'll have to move back to Gryffindor Tower, and I'd really rather not do that. I'm looking forward to having my own room and not having to share a bathroom with five other people."

"I think you'll be just fine," he said. "Whoever it is, they're probably pretty great."

Rose shrugged. "We'll see, I guess. The choices aren't terrible, but just because they're nice people doesn't mean that they won't have absolutely horrible habits. I hear you made Quidditch Captain."

He nodded. "I did, yeah."

"Are you looking forward to it?"

"Yeah," he said. "I'm making everyone try out again for formalities' sake, and we've got a Chaser spot to fill now that Quinn's graduated, but there was some good talent on the reserve team last year, so hopefully at least one of them will come back for tryouts. It's going to be a good year, I think. Are you going to finally come to a match?"

"I've come before," she said. "You know that."

"Only because you've been dragged," he said. "I know Alice always made you come to them because she wanted to see Declan and she didn't want to go by herself."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe it wasn't exactly voluntary, but I was there. Al's going to make me go this year anyway, since it's our seventh year and all of that. I do like Quidditch, and you know I play, I've just had other things to focus on. Don't worry, I'll be around."

"Good," he said. They danced in silence for the rest of the song, and when it ended, he grinned at her. "Oh, by the way... I'm Head Boy."

Before she could formulate a response, he winked at her and took off across the dance floor. She started after him, only to pause after a few steps to wrestle her shoes off her feet. Once the heels were hanging from her hand, she followed him out of the tent and onto the sand of the beach. It had grown dark, and the stars were reflecting in the water as she chased him down the sand. She finally caught up to him, and, unable to stop, slammed into him. They fell to the ground, and he turned them so that he took the brunt of the fall.

She looked down at him and smacked his shoulder. "You bastard! You should’ve told me!"

He grinned at her again. "I did, just... Not in the way you would’ve expected." After a moment, he gently pushed her off of him. "You don't look like you weigh that much, but that hurt."

"Sorry," she said, grinning as she settled herself beside him. "I think you deserve it, after pulling that."

He laughed. "Yeah, I probably did. So, how do you feel about your fellow Head now?"

"Only time will tell," she said. "We'll just have to wait and see."

They stayed there on the beach looking out at the ocean until Alice, Declan, Al, and Maddie came to find them.

"We wondered where you two went," Al said. "Care to explain?"

"Your best mate is a prat and failed to mention to me that he was going to be Head Boy, only to suddenly say it and take off, so I followed him," Rose said.

"Your cousin apparently can't judge distance and ran into me, and I didn't particularly feel like getting up after we fell over, so here I am," Scorpius said. "Merlin, Al, it's a good thing she's not into Quidditch."

"She's actually pretty decent, when she wants to be," Al said. "She just doesn't usually want to be."

"For good reason," Rose said. "The whole lot of you are mad."

"That depends on what your definition of mad is," Maddie said. "I prefer to call us incredibly dedicated."

"Whatever makes you happy," Rose said. "How are Teddy and Vic?"

"They haven't stopped staring at each other all night," Al said. "It's been a task and a half just to get them to talk to other people, let alone be separated from each other for three seconds."

"They just got married, can you blame them?" Rose asked.

"I guess not," Al said.

"That's what I thought," Rose said. She stood up and dusted the sand off of her dress. "Well, I should probably and assure my parents that I'm still alive. Scorpius, you're still a prat."

"Glad to hear your opinion of me hasn't changed," he said, smiling. "See you, Red."

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "Much to my displeasure."

He laughed. "You know you enjoy it."

"Keep telling yourself that," she threw over her shoulder as she walked away.

"Oh, believe me," he said. "I will."


	3. Chapter Two

If anyone had tried to tell first-year Rose Weasley that Scorpius Malfoy would be the Head Boy to her Head Girl, she would have laughed in their face, but nonetheless, she found herself sitting in the Heads' carriage with him waiting for the prefects to arrive on September 1st.

(They had told all of their friends to wait in other compartments until the meeting was over, and after a bit of grumbling on the parts of Al and Trent, everyone had agreed. As Rose had pointed out, it wasn't as though they couldn't leave their things in the Heads' carriage, they just couldn't stay in it, so it wasn't as bad as it could be.)

She straightened her t-shirt and badge, only to narrow her eyes as Scorpius laughed. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "It's just, you're worried about what they're going to think of you, as though it even matters."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"Everyone knew you were going to get this position," he said. "Or at the very least, everyone important knew you were going to get it. Andrew and Julian both owe me three Galleons."

"You had a bet going about who would be Head Girl?" Rose asked. "I know that my family has a tendency to bet on everything, but you’re an authority figure now, Scorpius. You don’t have to turn everything into a game."

"But life is more fun that way," he said. "You should try it sometime, Red. It might do you some good."

She shook her head. "I intend to get through this year with the best grades possible and absolutely no infractions."

"I'd ask if it's possible for a Weasley to go through Hogwarts without infractions, but your Uncle Percy is proof that it is," Scorpius said. "Of course, he's not exactly proof that you can have fun while doing so. Come on, Red, live a little."

"I could be in uniform right now," she said. "I'm not as bad as I could be."

"Something for which I am very grateful," he said. "I don't think I could stand to share a dormitory with someone who was that uptight."

She rolled her eyes. "I should be the one who's upset. I have to share a dormitory with _you_."

"I'm going to be the best dorm-mate that you've ever had," he said, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "Just wait."

"I'm just going to hope that you're right, because otherwise, we're going to be in for one long year," she said. "You're good with the patrol schedule we came up with over the summer, right?"

He nodded. "Of course I am. We spent how long on that thing?"

"Three hours on a Tuesday," Rose said. "It was hardly a huge portion of your life."

He grinned. "Oh, but it could very well have been."

Shaking her head, she made a face. "You're ridiculous."

His grin widened. "I know."

He hadn't removed his arm from her shoulders when the prefects filed in, and she glanced at him pointedly. He raised his eyebrows, and she shrugged so that his arm fell off of her shoulders.

"Could you at least _try_ to be a little bit professional?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever the lady desires." He turned to face the prefects, and she clasped her hands behind her back as he began to speak. "Welcome to prefect duty, to those of you who are fifth years, and welcome back to those who were with us before. I'm Scorpius Malfoy, your Head Boy."

"I'm Rose Weasley, Head Girl," Rose said when Scorpius paused. "We'd like to go over basic procedures with you now, and we'll have a meeting tomorrow after dinner to assign patrols and address the specifics. For now, we'll just go over what we need to in order to get through the train ride and duty tonight."

"On the train, you'll be in charge of patrolling," Scorpius said. "We aren't asking you to stay out of your compartments away from your friends, but to take a walk every now and then and to deal with whatever you can or fetch us if you can't. We aren't on patrol duty for the train ride as we'll be taking patrol tonight."

"There isn't much else that you'll need to do, but after dinner tonight, you'll need to escort the first-years to your dormitories and tell them how to gain access to the common room," Rose said. "We'll meet after dinner tomorrow in the usual meeting room. For those who are unfamiliar, it's on the sixth floor beside the statue of Edgar the Eccentric. Please try to be there by eight o'clock, as patrols are meant to start by nine."

"Are there any questions?” Scorpius asked. When nobody said anything, he nodded. “Thank you for your time, and we'll see you then.” The prefects filed out of the compartment and he grinned at Rose. "See, Red? I'm not so bad at this."

"Yet," she said. "I'm still waiting for you to slip up."

"Your lack of faith in me is astounding, and quite frankly, it hurts," Scorpius said.

"You know, I'd believe that, if it weren't for the fact that you're only serious about three percent of the time," Rose said. "Shall we get the others?"

"Rose Weasley actually asking me a question?" Scorpius asked. "What is this?" He grinned again. "That sounds like a fantastic idea, Red."

"I've told you not to call me that about four million times," Rose said as they left the compartment. "You're the worst."

"Actually, I'm the best," Scorpius said. "You told me that fifth year, remember?"

"I hate you," she said.

"No you don't," he said. "I know you like to tell yourself that, but we both know that it isn't the truth."

"Maybe not, but if you're not careful, it might be," Rose said. "Ah, here we are." She pushed open the compartment door and leaned inside. "We're done with the meeting, so the lot of you can feel free to move down to the Heads' carriage now."

"We're coming," Alice said. She, along with Helena and Serena, stood. "You coming, guys?"

"We are," Lorcan and Lysander chorused.

"Me too," Al said.

"Let us finish our game and we'll be along," Trent said.

The dark-haired boy across from him nodded. "What he said."

"All right," Rose said. "You know where to find us."

She led the way back to the Heads' carriage. Once they were there, she sunk into a seat by the window. Alice sat down beside her, and Serena and Helena sat down on the seats opposite.

"It's going to be a long year," Rose said, her gaze focused on the landscape that was flying past. "I can just feel it."

"It's seventh year, I don't think it's going to be as long as you think," Serena said. "I think it's going to go by faster than any of us expect."

Helena shrugged. "Ask me how fast it went on the last day of term, how about that?"

"Don't worry, I will," Serena said.

Helena nodded. "I look forward to it."

"I'm sure you do," Rose said. She looked up as the compartment door opened. "Hey Lil, Maddie."

"Hey," Lily said. "You don't mind if we join you, do you?"

Rose grinned. "To be perfectly honest, I was sort of expecting it, seeing as both of your boyfriends are here."

"I'm glad to know I'm predictable," Maddie said. "How was your summer, Rose?"

"It was decent," Rose said. "Yours?"

"A bit dull, really," Maddie said. "I spent some time in London with Jade and Jake though, and that was fun. If the whole summer had been like that, it would have been great."

"I feel like that happens a lot," Rose said. "Everything's a bit boring except for one or two really fantastic things."

"You saw me a bunch, so your summer couldn't have been that bad."

Rose turned to make a face at Scorpius. "Or you just happened to make it worse. Did you ever consider that possibility, or is your overly large head incapable of processing it?"

"You wound me," Scorpius said, pressing his hand to his heart. "I just want you to love me, Red."

"Stop calling me Red and there might be a better chance of it," Rose said.

"Well, that's not going to happen, so I suppose I'm just going to have to find another way to win your heart," Scorpius said.

Rose opened her mouth to speak, only to snap it shut when Al did it for her. "Stop flirting with my cousin, Scorp. It's weird."

"He flirts with everyone," Rose said. "I'm hardly any different."

"Yeah, except I'm related to you," Al said. "I'm not related to the rest of them. He's my best mate, and you're my cousin. Maybe if he were serious, that'd be one thing, but he's not. Right, Scorp?"

"Right," Scorpius said. "Rose knows that, don't you, Red?"

"Of course I do," Rose said. "I've spent enough time around you, much to my own displeasure."

"You wound me," Scorpius said.

Rose shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, I'm sure I do."

"You underestimate the power of your opinion," Scorpius said. "It's the most important thing in the entire world."

"I'll bet it is," Rose said. A moment later, she groaned. "Merlin, I'm hungry."

Scorpius reached into his pocket and pulled out a small package. He held it out to her. "Chocolate Frog?"

She looked from the wrapped Chocolate Frog to his face. "Why do I feel like there's a catch here?"

"Because you're paranoid and you think that I'm incapable of being nice for the sake of being nice," Scorpius said.

"Oh, right," Rose said. "That's it." She took the Chocolate Frog from him, unwrapped it, and took a bite. "I still hate you."

He grinned. "You'd better work on dealing with your negative feelings towards me, or this year is going to be even longer than you thought it would. We're sharing a dormitory, remember?"

"Don't remind me," she said. "I'm trying to put that thought out of my mind until I have to deal with it."

"Avoidance tactics never work, Rosie," Al said. "You might as well just reconcile yourself to the fact that you're stuck with this git for the rest of the year."

"Hey," Scorpius said.

Al shrugged. "I'm your best mate. I'm allowed to call you a git. It's in the rules."

"I'd like to see the rulebook, then," Scorpius said. "I don't call you a git, do I?"

"You don't, but that's ‘cause he isn't one," Lorcan said.

"Do all of you really have that low of an opinion of me?" Scorpius said.

"Only sometimes," Lysander said. "Don't worry. It's only when you do something stupid."

"Which is regularly, so yes," Rose said.

"Yeah, we're really going to have to work on this," Scorpius said. "I can't very well live with somebody who has such a terrible opinion of me. It's just not going to end well. I won’t have any self-esteem left by the end of term."

"You two will figure it out," Serena said. "And if not, Rose can just move back into the dormitory with us."

Rose made a face. "No offense, girls, but I'd rather not."

"We understand," Helena said. "Don't we?"

"Definitely," Alice said. "If I could have my own bedroom, I would. It'd be awfully nice to not have to worry about waking other people up by accident, or having to deal with things ending up in places where they shouldn't be—"

"Or being able to have your boyfriend over without having to deal with the responses of everyone else in the dormitory." Serena grinned at Alice, who made a face.

"I don't need to worry about that, seeing as I'm boyfriend-less and intend to remain that way unless someone really good comes along," Rose said. "I'm just looking forward to having a study space that isn't the library or the common room. Not having to continuously pack and unpack my things is going to be fantastic, and I'll know where everything is."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "We know, Red, you love organization and would marry it if you could. You don't have to tell us twice."

"You're a prat," Rose said. "I hope you know that."

"You all tell me so often, I don't see how I could forget," Scorpius said.

"We're only trying to keep you out of trouble," Al said. "Obviously, it doesn't work, but we try."

"I can't be that bad," Scorpius said. "I am Head Boy, after all."

"Yeah, and so was my grandfather, but that doesn't mean he wasn't completely ridiculous for a while there," Al said. "I can't wait until you find a girl that you really, really like who refuses to put up with your absurdity. It'll be incredibly interesting to see how you handle it."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Please, Al, I'm going to end up with a girl who loves my absurdity, as you call it."

Rose laughed. "Keep telling yourself that."

"Well, the female population of Hogwarts can't seem to get enough of me, so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss that," Scorpius said.

"I do believe the girls and I make up a portion of that female population, and last I checked, none of us have any interest in you," Rose said. "Right, girls?"

"That would be correct," Serena said.

"Definitely," Helena said.

"My interest is reserved for my boyfriend," Alice said.

"Mine too," Lily said.

"Likewise," Maddie said.

Rose grinned. "And there, my point is made."

"You make up what, one percent of it?" Scorpius asked. "Your interest, or lack thereof, is negligible. I'm willing to bet you that if you conducted a survey, more girls would say they find me attractive than would say they wouldn't."

"Well, seeing as I have absolutely no interest on wasting my time proving that I'm right, we'll just have to agree that you're out of your mind and be done with it," Rose said. She glanced up as the compartment door slid open, and smiled at the boys who entered. "Hey Trent, Beck."

"Hey Rose, pipsqueak, everyone," Trent said.

"Hi," Beck said.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut it, Trent. I'm only a year younger than you, and I'm the mature one most of the time. Hey, Beck."

"So, what'd we miss?" Trent asked, sitting down.

Al shook his head. "Not much, just the usual."

"Oh, Scorpius and Rose going at it again?" Trent asked. "So, nothing new then."

"Definitely not," Al said.

Rose sighed. "This whole thing is completely ridiculous. I'm going for a walk."

Without waiting for a response from anyone, she stood up and left the compartment. The sounds of conversation drifted out from the compartments as she walked along the corridor in between them, and she glanced around as she made her way down the train.

She had walked about halfway when someone else came into view walking down the corridor. They stopped in front of each other.

"Rose?" It was one of the sixth-year Ravenclaw prefects, a girl with honey-blonde hair and green eyes. "I thought that you weren't on patrol. Is something wrong?"

"Hi, Honor," Rose said. She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, I just fancied a bit of a walk. How are things down here?"

"Fine, as far as I can tell," Honor said. "Evan's being a bit of a git about getting up and actually patrolling, but I'm working on it."

"I wish you luck," Rose said. "It's not exactly fun, sharing a position with somebody who doesn't seem to take it as seriously as you do."

"Is something wrong with you and Scorpius?" Honor asked.

Rose shook her head again. "No, not really, I'm just rambling. I think I'm going to go back now, but if Evan continues to refuse to patrol, come find me and I'll set him straight, all right?"

Honor smiled. "All right. Thanks, Rose."

Rose nodded. "Just doing my job."

She turned around and made her way back down the train to the Heads' carriage. When she went inside, there was a pile of candy and other food on one of the seats.

She groaned and sat down next to Alice, letting her head fall against the window. "Don't tell me I missed the trolley."

"You did," Serena said. "Don't worry though, we got you food."

Helena picked up a few things and threw them at Rose. She caught them and bit into one of the Cauldron Cakes eagerly. "You guys are the best, you know that?"

"Red, I'm flattered," Scorpius said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Except for you."

He laughed. "I knew that was coming."

Rose took another bite of the Cauldron Cake, chewed, and swallowed. "Yeah, I'll bet you did."

"You know, I'll never understand why the two of you can't just get along," Al said. "This is getting to be ridiculous."

"Oh, we're friends," Scorpius said. "Right, Red?"

Rose nodded. "Friends who happen to have a love-hate relationship because a certain idiot won't stop calling me by that godforsaken nickname, but we're friends, yeah. We just wouldn't be us if we didn't argue all the time."

Al groaned. "I can't decide which would be worse, having the two of you stop arguing all the time and actually get along, but shock all of us in the process, or have the two of you continue to act like this for the rest of our lives so that we're still sitting through it when we're fifty."

"Well, I'm sure you'll find out eventually," Rose said. "For now, you're stuck with this."

"Let's just hope I survive the year," Al said. "After that, I'll only have to put up with this when I've mentally prepared myself and invited the both of you over to my flat."

"Keep telling yourself that, mate," Scorpius said. "Chances are we'll probably be living together, so I wouldn't speak too soon if I were you. With your luck, I'll end up inviting Rose over just for the sake of annoying you."

Al stared at him for a moment. "Remind me why I'm best mates with you again?"

"Because you couldn't find anyone better and I'm the greatest person to come through Hogwarts since Teddy Lupin, to hear the lot of you tell it," Scorpius said.

"You're really stretching it a bit there," Rose said. "Nobody will ever really compare to Teddy."

Scorpius grinned. "I'm going to prove you wrong about that."

"Go ahead and try," Rose said. "Just because you think you will doesn't mean that it's actually going to happen."

"You underestimate my powers of persuasion," he said. "You'll be singing a different tune by the end of the year, Red, I promise you that."

"If it makes you happy," Rose said.

His grin widened. "It does."

Serena looked at each of them for a moment and then shook her head. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a deck of cards. "Anyone for a game of Exploding Snap?"

When the train finally reached the station in Hogsmeade, Rose led the way onto the platform. Serena, Helena, and Alice followed her into one of the waiting carriages, and it started off towards the castle.

"I hadn't realized that it was possible for two people to intentionally antagonize each other that much until I met you and Scorpius," Serena said. "It's like a game for you, I swear."

Rose shrugged. "We don't mean it to be that way. It just sort of happens. I'm not really even sure when it was that we started to sort of get along and the teasing turned from attempts to make the other feel bad into genuine good-natured fun."

"If that's your definition of fun, I worry about you," Serena said.

Alice shook her head, a smile on her face. "That's just how they are, Rena. They've found some sort of common ground that works for them, and that's just the way that it needs to be. For your sake though, Rose, I hope that the two of you can manage to share a space without having that so-called genuine good-natured fun turn into negative barbs."

"We'll sort it out," Rose said. "I'm determined to have an entirely satisfactory performance as Head Girl, and if that means putting up with Scorpius's absolute madness for a year, then that's what I'll do."

"I hope that works out for you," Alice said. "I really, really do."

"I mean, whatever happens, happens, right?" Rose asked.

Serena gasped. "Rose Weasley, the girl who wants everything to be planned and organized down to the second, just admitted that things just _happen?_ What is this world coming to?"

Rose grinned. "I hate all of you."

"No, you don't," Alice said.

"Well, that's true," Rose said. "Most of the time, anyway."

Serena pressed her hand to her heart. "Most of the time? Rose, you're hurting my feelings."

"I'm sure that you'll survive," Rose said. "If you don't, I'll mourn your passing."

"Well, at least that's somewhat gratifying," Serena said. "I'm glad to know you care about me enough to mourn if I died."

"Someone has to do it, so it might as well be me," Rose said. "Merlin, I hope the Sorting goes quickly. I'm hungry again."

"I swear you're always hungry, Rose," Alice said. "I think you might have a problem."

"More like this whole thing is stressing me out and when I'm stressed I get hungry," Rose said. "Your cousin is first-year this year, right, Helena?"

Helena nodded. "Hudson's starting, yeah, and so is Krista. Lori and Rosalie aren't too thrilled that their little brother is joining them at school, but as I told them, they'll be happy to have siblings once they're older and they aren't seeing them every day for prolonged periods of time. They thought I was making it up, but I think they'll see reason in a few years."

"I know I'm glad to have Hugo," Rose said. "He may drive me mad sometimes, but he's a good kid."

"Cole's pretty great too," Alice said.

"Sometimes I think that Rae and I will never get along, but she's still a pretty decent sibling anyway," Serena said. "And Amos is just ridiculous, but once he grows up a bit I'm sure we'll get along wonderfully. As of right now I think he just wants his big sisters to keep their noses out of his business."

"Can you really blame him?" Alice asked. "If you had an older sibling, would you want them poking their nose into everything you did, or even just some things?"

"Probably not," Serena said, grinning. "But fortunately, I don't have an older sibling, so it's not something I need to worry about."

Alice shook her head. "You're mad."

"Always have been, probably always will be," Serena said.

They all laughed at that. A few minutes later, they arrived at the front of the castle. Rose led the way into the entrance hall, and then into the Great Hall. They took their seats at the middle of the Gryffindor table, and were joined a few moments later by the boys, Lily, Maddie, and some of the younger girls' friends. Over the time that followed, the rest of the Great Hall filled until no one else entered and gaps were left at each table. The room fell silent when Neville began to lead the first-years into the Great Hall. He set the stool down on the raised platform that held the table for the teachers and, Sorting Hat in hand, lifted a scroll.

"Alton, Krista," he said, his voice carrying over the quiet room.

A small girl with Helena's blue eyes hurried up to the stool. Neville lowered the hat onto her head, and a moment later, the tear at the brim opened. "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Krista looked around the Great Hall, and when she locked gazes with Helena, the older girl gave her a thumbs up. Krista smiled and moved down from the platform to make her way to the Hufflepuff table. Once she was seated, Neville looked at the scroll again.

"Averly, Hudson."

"Well, at least they're getting it out of the way early, huh?" Rose whispered to Helena as a dark-haired boy made his way up to the stool.

Helena smiled. "Definitely. They'll be able to relax much sooner than everyone else."

The hat was lowered onto Hudson's head, and it sat there for a moment before the tear opened and the hat shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"Well, there's another one," Serena said. "Now we've got four of you."

"Much to Rosalie's chagrin, I'm sure," Helena said. "I'm glad to have Hudson with us. It'll do him some good, I think. He's always been fairly quiet."

"Like you, you mean?" Alice asked. She grinned when Helena blushed. "Only joking, Hel. You're just the quietest out of the lot of us."

"Don't think I haven't noticed," Helena said.

Serena chuckled quietly. "We've just got a group of particularly colorful personalities here."

Rose smiled and lifted her finger to her lips. "Quiet, guys. The Sorting isn't even close to being over yet."

They watched as the first years were sorted all the way through "Wilkins, Jacqueline." Neville lifted the stool and Sorting Hat and took them through the door by the staff table as Professor McGonagall stood.

"I'll have a few words for you after dinner, but for now, eat," she said.

"Thank Merlin," Rose said as she reached for the roast beef. "I'm starving."

"Hardly," Scorpius said. "It's been what, two hours since you last ate something? You're nowhere near death."

She stared at him, picked up a napkin, and threw it at him. "You're a prat."

He caught the napkin and set it down beside his plate. "So you've told me, Red. Thanks for the napkin, by the way. I needed one."

She fixed him with a glare as Al laughed. "You'd better be careful, Scorp, or you're not going to make it back alive from patrol tonight."

"Nah, she wouldn't," Scorpius said. "She likes me too much to kill me."

"You're really starting to push it now," Rose said. "I wouldn't speak too soon, if I were you."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

Rose shook her head and continued to fill her plate. The girls kept her distracted for the rest of dinner, and when it ended, Professor McGonagall caught Rose's eye and beckoned to her. She threw another napkin at Scorpius.

His head snapped towards her. "What?"

"Professor McGonagall wants us," she said. "Probably about the dormitory." She looked at the blonde-haired girl who sat beside Lily. "Verity, you've got the first-years, yeah?"

Verity nodded. "I'll make sure they get up to the dormitory safe and sound."

"Great, thanks," Rose said. "Come on, Scorpius."

"Whatever you say, Red," Scorpius said.

"I only wish that were true," Rose muttered as they walked up to the staff table.

Professor McGonagall waited until the last of the students had left the Great Hall before she spoke. "I trust you know where the Heads' dormitory is, given your family history with it, Miss Weasley." When Rose nodded, she continued. "You can set the password when you reach the tapestry, and your password will remain for the duration of the year. If, for any reason, you feel that you need to change it, you'll need to speak with myself or Professor Longbottom so that we can reset the enchantment."

"Thank you, Professor," Rose said.

Professor McGonagall inclined her head. "Go see your new dormitory, Miss Weasley, Mister Malfoy."

They said their thanks once more and then started up the stairs to the sixth floor. When they reached the tapestry, Rose didn't give Scorpius a chance to speak. "Eridanus."

The tapestry melted into the wall, revealing a door. Rose opened it and went into the common room, Scorpius on her heels. He shut the door behind him and turned to look at her. "What kind of password is that?"

She smiled. "Oh, it's a river from Hyperborea." When his brow furrowed, her smile widened. "It's from Greek mythology. I don't think anybody is going to guess that anytime soon, and seeing as we can't change it, let's be careful who we share it with, all right?"

He bowed slightly. "I give in to your wisdom on this matter."

She laughed. "It was bound to happen eventually. I'm going to go look at my room and unpack. Meet down here in an hour for patrol?"

He nodded. "Sure."

"Great," she said.

She crossed the common room and opened the door that had her name engraved on a plaque. The room that she entered made her pause and stare for a moment. It was decorated in Gryffindor colors, with a large four-poster bed, wing-backed armchair, dresser, and perhaps the best thing, a massive carved wooden desk. It took up the majority of the wall opposite the foot of the bed. Beside it was a door that Rose assumed led to her bathroom.

She shut the door behind her, and then, after a quick glance around the room, launched herself at the bed. She bounced in the air and then began to laugh as she stared at the canopy of the bed. After a moment, she stood up and crossed to where her trunk had been left beside the dresser. She opened it and began to put everything away, stowing the books inside on the shelf above the desk and the clothing in the dresser. When she finally looked at the clock after putting everything away and organizing it, she swore. She threw open the door and went out to the common room. Scorpius was lying on the couch, tracing something in the air with his wand. He sat up when he heard her footsteps.

"Ready for patrol?" he asked.

"You bastard," she said. "We should've left ten minutes ago."

He grinned and stood up. "If you weren't out in five I was going to come get you, but I figured that whatever you were doing must have been important, seeing as you're normally never late for things. Shall we?"

She rolled her eyes, but followed him out into the corridor anyway. Her wand hung loosely in her grasp as they began to walk, and every so often, she gave it a flick to open the doors to various broom cupboards.

After a while, Scorpius opened his mouth to say something, only to snap it shut when a muffled thud came from inside of the broom cupboard beside them. He stopped and looked at Rose. "Would you care to do the honors, or shall I?"

"I've got the door, you've got the punishment," Rose said. "We're taking it easy on them tonight, since it's the first day back and all, but only tonight."

Scorpius nodded. "After you, then."

Rose lifted her wand and gave it a flick. The door to the broom cupboard flew open, and a couple stumbled out. The girl hurriedly did up her skirt as the boy buttoned his shirt. They both stared at Rose and Scorpius expectantly.

Scorpius smiled slightly, his eyes narrowed. Rose watched him as he inclined his head, his gaze still trained on the couple. "Colfer, Claverdon, much as I enjoy having a good time, I'm well aware that broom cupboards aren't the best choice, especially on the first night back at school. Five points each from Slytherin and Ravenclaw. Get back to your common rooms, and believe me when I say that we'll find you if you try to go somewhere else tonight."

The girl hurried off. The boy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "You know, Malfoy, I never thought I'd see the day when you were the one handing out the punishments for this. There was a time when you would have been the one in that cupboard."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Five more points from Slytherin for disrespecting a Head, Colfer, and as I said before, I'm too smart to snog someone in a broom cupboard." His voice deepened, and Rose tightened her grip on her wand. "Get back to your common room before I start docking even more points."

Colfer made a noise of disgust and walked off. Scorpius waited until he was gone to start walking again. Rose gaped at him for a moment before following.

They walked in silence for a while, Scorpius occasionally glancing at her. It wasn't until they had busted two more couples that he spoke. "We are friends, aren’t we, Rose?"

She glanced at him. His grey eyes were solemn, his mouth flat. She raised her eyebrows. "What brought this on?"

He shrugged. "Dunno, I just... It's starting to feel like all of the teasing and everything else is becoming real, and not like it's just us poking fun at each other because it's what we do."

She turned her gaze back to the corridor in front of them, her grip on her wand tightening. "I've known you for what, six years now?"

He nodded. "Something like that, yeah."

"And out of everyone I spend time around, you're the only person that I've never had a single, genuine fight with," she said. "You may drive me absolutely mad, but you've never really made me angry. Of course we're friends, you idiot. So long as you don't do anything completely stupid or out of line, you don't have to worry about that."

He smiled slightly. "Good."

She grinned at him. "We'd just better make sure that we aren't too civil around Al, or he might have a heart attack."

"Yeah, I'd like to keep my best mate alive for as long as possible," Scorpius said. "I think we can spare him, don't you?"

"He is my cousin," Rose said. "I don't think Uncle Harry would like it very much if I was responsible for his death."

"Probably not, no," Scorpius said.

She chuckled quietly. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day when Scorpius Malfoy was worried about whether or not we were actually friends."

He glanced at her, grinning. "I'm glad to know I can still shock you even after six years."

"I'm sure you are," she said. "It seems like it's one of your hobbies."

"I do my best," he said. "I try to keep your life interesting."

"Well, there's certainly never a dull moment when you're around," she said.

"It's good to know that I'm not failing in my mission," he said. "What would you do if you didn't have me around?"

She glanced at him and laughed. "Move on with my life, probably." When he pretended to pout, she grinned. "Oh, don't be such a baby. I'd be sad for a bit, probably, but I'd move on with my life. We can't stay hung up on the people we lose. It just results in more difficulty for everyone. It's a waste of time and energy."

"When did you get to be wise?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I've always been wise, you just haven't been paying attention."

"Fair enough," he said. "I feel pathetic next to you now."

"I'm sure you do," she said.

They continued to make their way around the castle, catching no fewer than three more couples in the corridors and four on the way up to and on the Astronomy Tower. When they finally got back to their dormitory, Rose collapsed on the couch and groaned.

"Merlin, I'm glad we don't have to patrol every night. I don't think I'd survive if we did."

He laughed. "I'm starving. Will you give me detention if I sneak down to the kitchen, or can I do that without worrying about getting into trouble?"

"So long as you can do it without getting caught, I don't care," she said. "Just don't take too long. Although, I'll probably be asleep by the time you get back, so it doesn't really matter, but still. Try not to take too long."

"Will do," he said. "See you in a bit, and if I don't, sleep well."

"Thanks," she said. "Have fun on your adventure."

"I'll do my best," he said.

She waited until he left the common room again to cross to her door and go into her bedroom. It only took her a few moments to gather her pajamas and go into the bathroom. She showered quickly, pulled on her pajamas, and crawled into bed with a book.

After a while, she got out of bed and went out to the common room to get some water from the jug she had noticed sitting on a small table by the window. The only light in the room was that of the moon streaming through the window, causing shadows to layer across each other and leave the majority of the room in darkness. She filled one of the two glasses that sat beside the jug and lifted it to her lips, gazing out the window as she sipped at the water.

She was halfway done when the door to the common room slammed open. Her eyes widened when she heard Scorpius speak, and she turned towards the sound.

His voice was low, but it cut through the quiet nonetheless. “Desford, I already told you that I’m not interested. Following me isn’t going to change that.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Malfoy,” the girl said. “This is your only chance.”

“Did you ever stop to consider that I don’t want it?” Scorpius asked. “Now get out of here before you wake the Head Girl.”

Rose stepped into the swath of moonlight, and cleared her throat. "Too late."

He whirled around. "Rose, I—"

Rose looked at the girl. Her dark brown hair hung in perfect loose curls around her face with its grey eyes and flawless features. Lifting one eyebrow, the girl watched Rose. "Desford, ten points from Slytherin for being out after hours. Go back to your dormitory before I make that a detention." When the girl didn't move, Rose narrowed her eyes. _"Go."_

There was a brief moment where they simply stared at each other before the girl flicked her hair over her shoulder, spun on her heel, and flounced out of the common room. The door swung shut behind her with a quiet _click_ , and Rose took a sip from her glass as Scorpius stepped towards her.

“I’m sorry, Rose,” he said, his shoulders slumped. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

She lifted the glass in his direction. “I was already awake, Scorp. What was that?”

“I bumped into Desford on my way back from the kitchens,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair. “I felt a bit hypocritical taking points off when I was out after hours too, but then she came on to me and followed me all the way back here.”

“And you didn’t take her up on it? I’m shocked,” Rose said. He ducked his head and she sighed. “Sorry, that was uncalled for.”

“No, it wasn’t,” he said. “I think I’m just going to go to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She caught his hand as he walked past her. He glanced at her and she offered him a small smile. “Night.”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Night, Red.”

With that, she was left alone in the darkness of the common room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tweaking some plot things as I go. Hopefully it still reads smoothly.


	4. Chapter Three

September 2nd was a Saturday that year, and Rose awoke just before her alarm was set to go off. She shut it off so that it wouldn't startle her while she was in the bathroom, gathered her clothes, and went into the ensuite so that she could change, brush her teeth, and fix her hair. Having no classes that day, she opted to wear a sleeveless blouse and a loose skirt. A cardigan over top finished off the look, and she tucked her wand into the waistband of her skirt before leaving her room. Scorpius’s door was still closed when she went into the common room, and she glanced at it for a moment before she left the dormitory.

She was nearly to the Great Hall when someone called her name. She turned around to see Serena hurrying down the stairs towards her.

"Hey, Rena," Rose said, smiling. "Where are Alice and Helena?"

"Still asleep," Serena said, rolling her eyes. "You know how they get when we're just back to school. How was your first night in the Heads' dormitory?"

Rose shrugged. "Okay, I guess."

Serena's eyes lit up. "Oh, did something interesting happen?"

Rose made a face. "I don't know if you'd really want to call it interesting, to be perfectly honest. More like annoying and completely unnecessary on all parts."

“Spill,” Serena said.

“It’s really nothing,” Rose said. “I got up to get some water before I went to bed, only to witness the ever-lovely Oriana Desford trying to get Scorp to hook up with her.”

Serena's eyes widened as they made their way to their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. "Not _the_ Oriana Desford? The one that turned down the forever gorgeous Lionel Claverdon as a fifth-year? The fittest girl in the entire school? Ice Queen Oriana Desford? That one? And what do you mean, trying?”

Rose wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Yeah, that one. Merlin knows how Thad is related to her, since he's the sweetest kid on the planet. And I said trying because he wasn’t interested.” Serena’s eyebrows rose. “I know, right?”

“Maybe he isn’t as much of a git as I thought he was,” Serena said.

“Who isn’t a git?”

Rose glanced up from her porridge. "Hey Alice. Morning, Hel."

Helena groaned and sat down. "I wish it wasn't. Pass the porridge, would you?"

Rose passed the bowl across the table and looked at Alice. “Scorpius isn’t a git.”

“That’s a bit of a change from your usual attitude,” Alice said. “Did something happen?”

Rose launched into an explanation of what had happened the night before. When she finished, Alice shook her head. "Honestly, Rose, I'm not really that surprised that Scorpius did something like that.” She smiled at the sight of Rose’s shocked expression. “He may be a bit much sometimes, but he’s not the type to ignore your boundaries like that. The thing that surprises me is that Oriana was actually trying to sleep with him."

"Why does that surprise you?" Serena asked. "You know as well as we do that she slept with Verity's cousin Darragh last year, three days before end of term, and while Scorpius may be a complete and utter prat sometimes, he's also the most attractive boy at Hogwarts at the moment."

"I beg your pardon," Alice said.

Serena rolled her eyes. "I said at Hogwarts, Ali. We all know that you think Declan is the most attractive boy in the world, don't worry."

Alice grinned. "Good." Her expression grew serious a moment later. "Honestly, though. Why would Oriana Desford be willing to sleep with Scorpius Malfoy? You know how she is."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked. "I mean, she's the reigning Ice Queen of Hogwarts, but I don't understand your point."

Alice shook her head. "Merlin, it's a wonder how you had almost all Os on your O.W.L.s. The Desfords are about as close to huge blood purists as it gets, or at least, Oriana's parents are. Thad and Jonathan's dad married a Muggle-born, so he obviously doesn't care, and that's why Thad and Jon aren't so bad, but Oriana's father was in sixth year when our parents were in first and he ended up marrying Isolde Blishwick a few years after he graduated. They weren't involved in the war much, since he spent a few years in Canada as an ambassador to the Ministry there, and I wouldn't say that they outright hate people with Muggle blood, but they still think that you should marry within your own blood and all of that. As far as they're concerned, Thad is a traitor to the family just because he was sorted in Gryffindor, and—"

"Scorpius is a traitor to his family because he's a Gryffindor and not a Slytherin like the rest of the family was," Rose said, her eyes widening. "Merlin, I hadn't thought of that."

Alice smiled. "Well, someone has to be the smart one around here."

"But still, Scorpius is the fittest boy in our year, and probably the fittest boy in the whole school, though I'm sure Maddie and Lily would definitely argue with that," Serena said. "Think about it. It was the first day back, so everyone would be preoccupied with their own relationships, it was after curfew and after patrol so the chances of someone seeing were next to nothing, especially since Oriana probably figured you’d be asleep, Rose, and the Heads' dormitory is fairly secluded with no other dormitories on the floor, so the likelihood of someone seeing her come and go is miniscule. I'd bet you that she wanted to sleep with him since he is fit and all, and so she attempted to on the night when she was the least likely to get caught. You know Scorpius. He may sleep with people, but he doesn't really spread it around. They spread the story, and he just doesn't deny it, which is why some of those ridiculous rumours have been floating about over the last year or so. If she wanted to keep it a secret and she didn't tell anyone, you can bet that he wouldn't either."

"Damn, Rena, you should be a detective," Alice said. "That's some impressive logic right there."

Serena grinned. "I do my best."

Helena shook her head. "It's too early for this."

"It's a Saturday, love," Rose said. "Once you're done with breakfast, you can go back up to the dormitory and sleep if you're really still that tired."

"Yeah, I guess," Helena said.

Alice laughed. "Don't worry, Hel, you've got the whole day to laze about if you're still tired after breakfast. Back to the situation, though. She must really want to sleep with him if she was going to those lengths to do it without getting caught."

Rose made a face. "Why anybody would want to sleep with Scorpius Malfoy is beyond me. He may be fit, but he's not exactly boyfriend material."

"Oh, so you admit that he's fit?" Serena asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Anybody with a pair of working eyes can see that he's fit, Rena. He may drive me absolutely mad, but even I can see that he's attractive."

"Who's fit?"

Rose turned around to see Al standing there, Lorcan and Lysander behind him. Al took the seat beside her as Lorcan and Lysander moved to sit on the other side of the table. Rose shook her head. "Nobody, Al. Don't worry about it."

Al raised his eyebrows, but reached for the toast anyway. "If you say so."

"I do," Rose said. "I really, really do."

Alice sighed. "I guess we'll talk about this later, then."

Rose poured herself some water and groaned. "If we have to."

"We do," Alice said.

"Say, Rosie?"

Rose turned to look at Al. "Yeah?"

He buttered his toast and set it on his plate. "Did something happen with Scorpius last night? He came to the dormitory right before we left and he's not saying anything to anyone. He didn't even want to come downstairs for breakfast, that's how bad it is, and you know how that kid never passes up a meal."

Rose took a sip of water and swallowed. "Uh... Not that I know of, Al. Sorry. We went on patrol and when we got back to the dormitory, he headed down to the kitchens for a bit of food and I got ready for bed."

"Well, maybe try talking to him?" Al asked. "He's acting a bit strange, and I'm a little concerned."

“If he’s not around by lunch I’ll talk to him,” Rose said. “I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

"I suppose you're right," Al said. "Merlin, I wish we'd started classes today. I'm already a bit bored."

"Go take your broom down to the pitch and toss the Quaffle around with Lily and Drew after breakfast or something," Rose said. "I doubt they'd pass that up."

Alice nodded. "Try and get Cole in on it too, if you wouldn't mind. He wants to try out for the open Chaser position and he's a bit nervous about it, not that he'd ever actually admit that to anyone. I think it would do him some good to go play with some of the team members now that we're back at school."

"He's played with us since he was little," Al said, reaching for his goblet. "Why would he be nervous about it? We all know how he plays."

"I know," Alice said. "It's just that he's not used to playing with the team, and I think he's a bit worried that someone from a lower year is going to come in and upstage him, you know?"

Al smiled. "Yeah, I felt the same way when I tried out for the team, even though there wasn't really anyone younger than me who could. I'll go find him after breakfast."

"That would be great, thanks," Alice said. "But don't tell him that I asked you to, if you wouldn't mind. I don't think he'd ever forgive me for that. Pride and all of that."

"Of course," Al said.

After breakfast, Rose made her way up to the dormitory. She fetched a book and a blanket and went down to the shore of the lake, where she spread the blanket under a tree and settled down with her book. It was reasonably warm, the sun reflecting off the water, and she lost herself in the story as the day wore on.

When she finally got up, it was to realize that she had missed lunch. She bundled the blanket under her arm and made her way to the kitchens. Her eyes widened when she stepped through the doorway, and she set her book and blanket down on a table before making her way towards the table and chairs that sat at the center of the room.

The boy who sat there looked up and smiled at her. A lock of dark hair curled over his forehead, and his brown eyes were warm. His voice was deep when he spoke. "Hey, Rose."

She smiled slightly. "Hey, Guy. I wasn't aware that you frequented the kitchens."

He chuckled. "I don't, normally, but I was reading and I got so caught up that I forgot to come down to the Great Hall for lunch, so here I am. I'd ask what you're doing here, but everyone knows that the Weasleys, Potters, and their friends are all regular visitors to this part of the school, so you might not have any reason at all."

She grinned. "I knew it wasn't a typical Ravenclaw trait." Her smile widened. "And I actually do have a reason today, and it's quite similar to yours. Almost exact, actually, except for the fact that I was down by the lake, not in my dormitory."

"There's nothing like a good book to keep you from a meal," he said. "Unfortunately, I seem to have made skipping meals because I was reading a habit, which probably isn't the wisest decision in the world."

"And you're a Ravenclaw, you're meant to be all about wisdom," she said. "I can get away with it. I'm a Gryffindor. Making stupid decisions goes with the territory."

"Something for which I envy you," he said. "Congratulations on making Head Girl. Skylar always thought she would get it, but I knew better. I do believe you're the most diligent prefect we have at the moment."

"I do my best," Rose said. "Fortunately, in this case, it seems that it was enough."

"I don't see how it couldn't be," he said. "What's it like working with the infamous Scorpius Malfoy?"

“It’s pretty good so far,” Rose said. “There’s still the whole year left for him to change my mind, though, so ask me in nine months.”

Guy laughed. "I understand. So, are you excited for classes to start?"

Rose smiled and sat down. "I am, yeah."

They talked for a while as Rose ate, and when she finished, she glanced at him.

“I hate to cut this short, but I need to go check on something before dinner,” she said. “I'll see you in Charms on Monday?"

He nodded, his smile widening. "Definitely."

She smiled at him once more, picked up her blanket and book, and hurried up to the dormitory.

Scorpius was sitting in the common room when she went inside, but he didn’t look at her as she set her things down. She watched him for a few moments, and when he didn’t lift his head, she made her way over to the couch and sat down beside him.

“What’s going on, Scorp?” she asked. He shook his head and she sighed. “Don’t do this with me. We’re past it. Al’s worried about you and so am I.”

“It’s nothing,” Scorpius said, his voice quiet.

“Hardly,” Rose said. “You skipped breakfast. You never miss a meal.”

“Well, you skipped lunch,” he said.

“I was reading down by the lake and I lost track of time,” she said. “I do that when you aren’t there to bring me food or remind me that it’s time to eat.”

He raked his hands through his hair. “I guess I just figured you were avoiding me.”

“Why would I do that?” Rose asked. He didn’t say anything. “Is this about last night?” He shrugged. “Scorp, I don’t care about that. Nothing happened and it’s not like you were trying to bother me with it.”

He closed his eyes and lifted a hand to his face. “I just figured you’d be mad,” he said, his voice muffled. “Or disappointed, even. It was our first night in the dormitory and I felt like I already messed it up.”

“We hadn’t even set any rules yet,” Rose said. “We probably should have, but it would be wrong of me to get mad at you when we haven’t laid any boundaries for this.” She smiled. “It would be even more wrong of me to be angry with you for trying to _not_ bother me with it.” He still wouldn’t lift his head and she nudged his shoulder with hers. “Hey, look at me, would you?” He glanced at her. She tucked herself against his side and after a moment he lifted his arm to wrap it around her shoulders. “We’re good, okay? We can talk about ground rules later.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. She drew back far enough to stare at him, and a small smile formed on his face. “Yeah, I know, you wouldn’t say it if you weren’t sure.”

“See, you know me well enough,” she said, returning to her earlier position and closing her eyes. “I may like taking the mickey, but I don’t automatically assume the worst of you every time you mess up, got it? Next time just talk to me instead of avoiding everything.”

He hummed his agreement and tilted his head to rest his cheek against her hair. They sat there in silence for a while, with nothing but the sounds of their breathing to fill the room. Rose could feel her heartbeat level out, and she shifted ever-so-slightly closer to Scorpius’s side. He simply adjusted his arm to better-accommodate her and she smiled to herself.

She was nearly asleep when he shifted a while later, lifting his head. He gently squeezed her shoulder with his hand, and his voice was soft when he spoke.

“Red, it’s time for dinner.”

She shook her head, only for him to a chuckle a moment later. “Come on, Rose. Worrying about your righteous anger made me work up an appetite.”

He didn’t try to get her to move, though, and after a minute of quiet she sat up and opened her eyes. She straightened her cardigan as he removed his arm from her shoulders, and he offered her his hand once he stood up.

“How kind of you,” she said, grinning at him.

He rolled his eyes as she slipped her hand into his and allowed him to help her to her feet.

They had just left the dormitory when she glanced at him, their hands brushing as they walked. “Seriously, Scorp, why did you think I would get so mad at you?”

“I don’t know,” he said, sighing. “I know that there are all the rumors floating around, and I haven’t exactly done a great job of trying to dispel them, so I figured that you were going to—”

“Think the worst of you and condemn you immediately?” Rose asked. He nodded and she shook her head. “You drive me absolutely mad, Scorpius Malfoy, but I know you aren’t that much of a git. At least, I think I know that, anyway. What you get up to in your free time is your business as long as you aren’t hurting anybody.”

“To hear some people tell it, I do that on a regular basis,” Scorpius said.

“It’s never your goal, though, is it?” Rose asked.

“No,” he said. “It’s just sort of a side effect.”

“Then there you have it,” she said. “You may live to make my life difficult, but you’re not a cruel person. If anything, I’m hurt that you thought I would doubt you that much.”

He shrugged. “I never know what to expect from you, Red.”

“You’d think you would after the six years I've spent putting up with you,” she said.

He cracked a smile then. “You’re still as much of an enigma as ever, if not more so.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” she said.

He didn’t say anything in response, but in her peripheral vision, Rose could see his smile widen. She smiled to herself and tucked her hair behind her ear as they made their way into the Great Hall, which was already filled with most of the school. Their friends had left them seats opposite each other at the Gryffindor table, and Al looked up as they sat down.

“Oh, good, you found him,” Al said. “We were beginning to think we were going to have to send out a search and rescue team, Scorp.”

“Someone fell asleep and I had to wake her up before we could come down here,” Scorpius said, grinning at Rose. “Past the roast beef, would you, Lorcan?”

“For your information, I wasn’t asleep,” Rose said as she scooped some potatoes onto her plate. “I just really didn’t want to move.”

“Whatever you say, Red,” Scorpius said.

“If only that were the truth,” Rose said.

Serena rolled her eyes. “You two are ridiculous.”

“We know,” Rose and Scorpius chorused.

Alice watched them for a moment and then shook her head. “I don’t know what we’re going to do with the pair of you, but anyway… Anyone up for a few rounds of Exploding Snap later?”

“Scorp and I have a prefect meeting,” Rose said. “We can come afterward though.”

“I dunno,” Scorpius said. “I might make an early night of it. I want to run some drills tomorrow morning.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to make us get the whole team together before tryouts have even happened,” Al said.

“Seriously, I’m not waking up that early until I have to,” Lily said.

“I’m with Lil on that one,” Maddie said. “This doesn’t involve us, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t, so the lot of you can stop complaining and the rest of you don’t need to start,” Scorpius said. “You might want to think about flying a bit before tryouts, though. You never know when I’ll wind up replacing some of you.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Lorcan said.

“I wouldn’t test him,” Drew called from down the table. “You know how serious he gets about Quidditch.”

“Thank you, Barnaby,” Scorpius called back before he glanced around at everyone else. “See, she’s safe now.”

“Are you trying to tell everyone that they should be sucking up to their Captain if they want to keep their spots?” Rose asked. “Low blow, Malfoy.”

“So is that a no to Exploding Snap?” Helena asked in the brief pause that followed Rose’s words, inciting a round of laughter.

After dinner, Rose and Scorpius made their way to the Heads’ office. It was a little-used room, given that the Heads almost always shared a dormitory, but it was an ideal place for hosting prefect meetings. The long table which ran the length of the room always had enough seats for everyone who was there and the room provided a quiet, secure location to conduct any and all prefect business.

It wasn’t long after Rose and Scorpius settled themselves that the prefect arrived. Once they were all there and seated, Rose stood up and waved her wand. A piece of parchment flew from a stack at the center of the table to land in front of each of the prefects, who glanced at the text with interest.

"What you have in front of you is a copy of this year's patrol schedule," Rose said. "In the upper right-hand corner, you'll find your partner, who will remain as such for the year unless unusual circumstances arise. Aside from the Head Boy and myself, your partners are a mix of years and houses." One of the sixth-year Slytherin prefects raised their hand. Rose stifled a sigh. "Yes, Asher?"

"Why are you the only ones who aren't paired with someone else?" the dark-haired boy asked. "Getting up to something you shouldn't be?"

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but snapped it shut when Scorpius spoke. "As a matter of fact, Marone, we're on patrol together because we can use that time to discuss Head business. If you hadn't realized, I'm also the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and we've both got N.E.W.T.s to worry about, so if we can combine tasks, that gives us more time to study, or, y'know, sleep." Asher opened his mouth to say something, and Scorpius held up his hand. "The Head Girl and myself are as professional as possible, I assure you. Next question. If there aren't any, let our Head Girl continue, please."

Rose glanced at him. He nodded, his mouth set in a thin line. She took a deep breath and continued to speak. "We'll follow that rotation cycle for the duration of the year. If you need to reschedule one night, please try to sort it out amongst yourselves and only bring it to us if you absolutely have to. As the Head Boy pointed out, we're both quite busy, and it would be better for everyone if we only had to get involved when necessary. That being said, if you have issues with the patrol schedule or your partner, please come to us. We want this year to go as smoothly as possible, and that won't happen if there's any tension amongst the prefects."

Scorpius nodded again. "We only ask that if you do need to come to us about something, please do it at a reasonable hour when we aren't trying to do something else, or better yet, send us a note in advance asking to meet with us so that we've got time set aside for you. Now, as for basic patrol procedures..."

"If you're not a fifth-year, you should be familiar with these, but regardless, the review will be good for you," Rose said. "When it comes to those who are out after curfew, first offense is typically a five-point deduction, ten if they're doing something inappropriate. Second offense is ten or fifteen. Third offense is fifteen points and a detention."

"If something is dangerous, you can all do a Patronus," Scorpius said. "Send it to fetch us, and we'll either come ourselves or bring a teacher depending on the severity of the situation. Whatever you do, don't get yourselves involved unless you know that you'll be safe."

"Any questions?" Rose asked. When no one moved, she nodded. "Right. Well, you know who's on patrol tonight, and we'll have a meeting once every two weeks. If you look at the bottom of your patrol schedule, you'll find a date and time on the line. With a handy little spell known as the Protean Charm, I can change that to reflect the date and time of the next meeting. Keep an eye on it, and we'll see you then."

Asher seemed like he wanted to say something, but a quick look from Scorpius quickly silenced him. Rose hung back as the prefects filed out of the room, and as soon as she and Scorpius were the only ones left, she grinned.

“We’re as professional as possible?”

He glanced at her, mirth in his expression. “That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“In settings like the one we were just in, yeah,” she said. “But when we’re just hanging out? I’ll take normal you.”

They made their way out of the room as he chuckled. “I wasn’t aware that you had a definition of normal for me.”

“I do,” Rose said. “I’m not sure that you’d want to know what it is, though.”

“Part of me wants to, but a bigger part of me says that you’re probably right,” Scorpius said. “Do you want to go join the others in Gryffindor Tower?”

“I think I’ll pass tonight,” Rose said.

Scorpius nodded. They made their way back to the dormitory in a state of peaceful quiet after that, and it wasn’t until they were comfortably settled on the couch in the common room that Rose spoke again.

“We should probably lay out some ground rules for this whole situation, shouldn’t we?” she asked.

“That might help, yeah,” he said. “Any ideas?”

“Well, I guess based off of last night, my main request is that you don’t bring anyone back here overnight,” Rose said. “To make it a fair exchange, I can’t bring anyone here either, which isn’t to say that I would in the first place, but—”

“I get it, Red,” Scorpius said, smiling. “I suppose that’s a fair rule, but I have a rule for you.”

“Should I be scared?” Rose asked.

“If you were anyone else, I’d say no, but seeing as it’s you…” Scorpius said. “My only rule is that you have to try to have a little bit of fun this year, all right? You don't do anything to get me into any trouble. Sneak down to Hogsmeade or to the top of the Astronomy Tower or something." He grinned. “You’re a Weasley. I know you have it in you to cause a little bit of trouble.”

"I expect you to help me in that adventure, if that's what you want from me this year," Rose said.

His grin widened. "Oh, I can help you all right."

She gaped at him, only to pick up a pillow and throw it at him a moment later. "You prat, that's disgusting!"

He laughed. "I would never dream of it, Red. Not unless you asked me to."

"Well, that's not going to happen, so just put it out of your mind, would you?" she asked.

"No can do, Red, now that it's in there it's not going anywhere," he said.

"You're disgusting," she said. "I should have let you keep thinking I was mad at you. It would save me so much trouble."

"Your life would be boring without me in it," he said. "You know that as well as I do."

"Unfortunately," she said. "What do you say we head down to the kitchens for a bit of hot chocolate?"

"It's not hot chocolate weather," he said. When she stuck out her lower lip, he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, all right."

She clapped her hands together. "You're the best."

He smiled. "So I’ve heard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and the kudos, everyone, they're much appreciated!


	5. Chapter Four

The first Hogsmeade visit of the year was the last weekend of September. An early chill had set in, and Rose pulled on a coat and scarf over her sweater in an attempt to stave off the cold. The common room was empty when she entered it, Scorpius having already left for the carriages, and she took one last glance around the room before exiting it herself so that she could go downstairs to meet up with Helena and Serena.

She joined the stream of students who were going downstairs. They were only three flights from the entrance hall when somebody called her name. She stopped and turned around to see Guy hurrying down the stairs towards her, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

He grinned at her when he reached her. "Hey."

She smiled. "Hey."

They began to walk again, slower than she had been moving earlier. He glanced at her. "Excited for Hogsmeade?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, it should be good. Alice is abandoning us to go see Declan, so it's only going to be three of us today, but it should still be fun anyway."

Guy raised his eyebrows. "They're still together?"

Rose laughed and nodded. "Yeah, they are. Have been for ages, and their parents are old friends, so they've known each other for a long time. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up married fairly soon after we leave school. I think that they both know that they're it for each other. I sort of envy them for that, if I'm being entirely honest."

"Really?" Guy asked. "You don't strike me as that sort."

Rose glanced at him. "What sort do I strike you as, then?"

He grinned and ruffled his hair. "You strike me as the sort who knows exactly what she wants out of life and who is going to do everything in her power to get it, and if that means compromising herself in other areas, then she will. Basically, I think you're extraordinarily self-motivated and you don't have any room in your life for distractions right now."

She nodded slowly. "That is... remarkably accurate."

His grin widened. "I try my best."

"I'm sure you do." She shrugged. "I dunno, I mean, I do know exactly what I want and all of that, but there's nothing to say that I won't change my mind before the end of the year, and as for not wanting any distractions, that's true, but that doesn't mean I don't want to have any fun." She made a face a moment later. "As a matter of fact, I made a promise to somebody that I was going to do my best to actually enjoy myself this year rather than just sticking to coursework and driving myself mad."

"Oh?" He smiled again. "I guess I'll just have to do my best to help you with that mission this year, then."

She looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling up. "If our most recent conversations are anything to tell, I can guess that you're going to be incredibly good at that." Someone called her name, and she turned to see Serena and Helena standing by the door, the former beckoning to her. Glancing back at Guy, she smiled sheepishly. "I should go, the girls..."

He nodded. "Yeah, my friends are down here too. See you, I guess."

"So it would seem," she said. She touched his shoulder gently before she made her way over to where Helena and Serena stood. "Hey, guys."

Serena raised her eyebrows. "Talking to Guy again, are we?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You say that like it's something that's absolutely unheard of, Rena."

"Rose, you're forgetting that I was around you for all of fifth year." Serena crossed her arms. "You were so intent on studying for your O.W.L.s that you not only refused to look at boys, you also refrained from engaging in any of our conversations about them. Helena hardly said anything, but she's quiet as it is, so that's hardly shocking. You, though? Fourth year you offered your opinion up plenty of times, same with last year, but I know you, and I know that this is unusual behaviour for you, Miss I'm-going-to-get-Os-on-all-of-my-exams."

Rose's eyes widened. "You're mad." She looked at Helena. "Hel, tell her that she's mad."

Helena lifted one shoulder and let it drop. "I don't know, Rose, I'm kind of inclined to agree with Rena on this one. This is rather out of character for you."

"I ignore both of you." Rose lifted her chin and marched out of the entrance hall. Serena and Helena followed behind her, both laughing.

They entered one of the carriages and were just about to shut the door when Scorpius and Trent climbed in.

Serena looked at them, her brow furrowed. "What are the two of you doing here?"

"Well, Beck and Lysander are off doing Merlin knows what, and we got tired of watching Lorcan and Al suck face with their respective girlfriends, so here we are," Trent said. "You don't mind, do you?"

Rose grinned. "Not at all. I can't say I blame you for wanting to get away from them. They drive me mad and I'm related to half of each of those couples. It stopped being cute a really long time ago."

"I'm glad to know you feel our pain," Trent said.

Scorpius shook his head. "The lot of you are mad." He looked at Rose, Serena and Helena. "So, girls, what do you have planned for the day?"

"Dunno," Rose said. "We're going to wander around the village, pick up some things at Honeydukes, stop in to the Three Broomsticks, maybe pay a visit to the Shrieking Shack. We'll see what happens."

"That's always the best way to do things," Scorpius said. "I must say, Red, I'm glad to see that you're getting out. Good to know you're at least attempting to make good on your promise."

"We wouldn't dream of letting her stay back on a Hogsmeade weekend, don't you worry," Serena said. "There's no escaping this."

"It's good to know that I have people there to help me with my mission to get Rose to actually have a good time this year," Scorpius said. "I was a bit worried that it was going to be a one-man job."

"Oh, never," Serena said. "We're horribly invested in making sure that Rose doesn't turn into a recluse, right, Hel?"

Helena nodded. "Most definitely. She's our best mate, we like to see her face every now and then."

"You see me every day in class and at meals," Rose said. "I'm hardly a hermit, Rena."

"Maybe not, but seeing you in class and at meals isn't the same as spending time with you outside of things that we all need to do," Serena said. "Getting you out of your dormitory is a very important task."

"I'm sure it is," Rose said. "Because that time totally couldn't be better spent if you devoted it to revising for our N.E.W.T.s or anything like that."

Serena sighed. "See, Rose, this is exactly what I'm talking about. You need to live a little, get out there, not spend all of your time worrying about the next exam. That's hardly a way to live your life."

"Maybe, maybe not," Rose said. "In the meantime, however, I'm going to do my best to do well at school and I'll figure the rest of it out along the way."

"So long as you make good on your promise, you can do whatever you want," Scorpius said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'll make good on mine if you make good on yours."

He grinned at her. "Hey, I haven't broken it so far, have I?"

She laughed. "No, you've been doing remarkably well at not bringing your one night stands back to our dormitory, Scorpius. How can I ever begin to thank you?"

He opened his mouth to reply, only to make a noise of disappointment when Trent clapped his hand over it. Trent raised his eyebrows. "Scorp, I know exactly what was going to come out of your mouth, and I'm telling you now: don't say it."

Scorpius groaned, the sound muffled by Trent's hand, and nodded. Trent pulled his hand away and Scorpius made a face. "You're stifling me."

"More like not giving Rose a reason to hex you into oblivion," Trent said. "Much as I may like you, mate, I don't think I'd ever want to go up against an angry Rose Weasley. Actually, forget Rose, I wouldn't want to go up against anyone with Weasley blood if they were really, honestly mad."

"And you'd be wise to know that you shouldn't do that," Rose said. "I'm glad to know that one of the guys in this carriage is smart enough to know that angering us is a bad idea."

Trent chuckled. "I like my head right where it is, and I know Vic, so I'm not about to test any of you."

"Smart move," Rose said.

They came to a halt on the outskirts of Hogsmeade a few minutes later. The wind blew at Rose's hair as she got out of the carriage, and she tucked the loose strands behind her ears while she waited for Helena and Serena to disembark as well. She tucked her hands into her pockets as they began to walk down the path, and they stopped once they reached the center of the shops.

"Where to first?" Serena asked.

Rose shrugged. "I need a new quill, so Scrivenshaft's?"

"Might as well," Serena said. "Any opinions, Hel?"

Helena shook her head. "I have no preference so long as we make it to Honeydukes. I need some chocolate."

Rose laughed. "You and me both, Hel. You and me both."

They made their way to Scrivenshaft's, where they remained for a while as Rose picked out a quill and Serena selected a bottle of color-changing ink. Once they were finished, they wandered through the streets of Hogsmeade out towards the Shrieking Shack. A few of the trees had begun to change color, providing a tapestry of orange, yellow, and green behind the house.

Serena leaned against the fence. "It's so hard to believe that Al's grandfather used to spend so much time there."

Rose rested her arms on the fence, her gaze locked on the facade of the house. "He did what he needed to in order to help his friend. They all did. And you know that Al's made his way out there more than once over the years, and so has Teddy. Uncle Harry too. I think it helps them to have something this personal. It lets them get in touch with everyone that we don't have anymore."

Helena sighed. "Do you ever wonder what it would have been like had Al's grandparents not died?"

Rose swallowed. "All the time, and I think Uncle Harry does too. He's found a family with Grandmum and Granddad, and I know that he loves Aunt Ginny and everything, but I think that there's always going to be a part of him that wishes that his parents were still around, and the same goes for Teddy. It's sort of difficult not to wonder."

They were silent for a few moments, the only sounds that of the wind, the leaves, and the noises drifting up from the village. After a while, Serena shook her head. "Well, we'll never know what it would be like if things had been different, much as we may wish otherwise. Anyway, for all we know, having just one person stay alive could have changed everything. Harry and Ron might never have become friends, Al might never have been born, Teddy and Vic might not have been best friends since they were little. There's a reason why you shouldn't go back and change the past. It can completely distort the future and make everything we know completely different. As sad as it is, we need to leave it be and let it go."

Rose's gaze stayed fixed on the house as she nodded. "I agree. I think that my family will always think about it, Teddy and Uncle Harry especially, but I think we also know that it's just a part of life and we need to keep moving past it." She shook her head a moment later. "Enough of this. It's depressing me. Shall we head back to the village?"

"Please," Helena said. "I need chocolate."

"Let's make a stop at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes first," Serena said. "I was instructed to buy Lorcan some Dungbombs, seeing as he's on a date." She made a face. "I really don't want to know what use they have planned for them."

Laughing, they walked back down the village. The wind picked up as they made their way to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Rose sighed appreciatively once they were inside and the door shut, blocking out the cold air. She barely made it five steps inside the door when someone threw their arms around her, picked her up, and spun her around.

Laughing, she pounded him on the back. "Fred Weasley, you put me down this instant!"

Fred chuckled as he set her down. She stepped back to look at him. His dark hair had gotten longer, and it curled around his neck and his ears as he grinned at her. There was a ring in his eyebrow and another on the left side of his lower lip. A tattoo of a lion prowled along his forearm, and another tattoo, this one of the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, was visible thanks to the open collar of his shirt. "How's seventh year treating you, Rosie? Gotten into any trouble?"

She laughed and shook her head. "Unfortunately, or maybe it's fortunate, you're asking the wrong girl. Lil has gotten into a bit of trouble with Al, Scorpius, and Maddie, but I don't have any detentions to my name."

His grin widened. "I figured as much. You are Head Girl, after all." He slung his arm over her shoulders and led her towards the counter. "How has your position of authority been, anyway? Are you making full use of your Head privileges?"

"I'm trying to," she said. "I've had to come to a compromise with Scorpius, much to my dismay, but so it goes in matters of politics and diplomacy."

"And what compromise is this?" Fred asked.

She groaned. "I made him swear that he wouldn't bring any girls back to our dormitory because I don't think I could handle listening to that or waking up to one of them stumbling out of his dormitory in the morning, and in return, he made me swear that I would attempt to have some fun this year. Of course, my definition of fun is slightly different than his, so that's proving to complicate matters a bit."

"It sounds like he got the short end of the stick, Rosie," Fred said, slipping his arm off of her shoulders and boosting himself up so that he could sit on the edge of the counter. "Your end of the deal doesn't sound so bad at all."

"Maybe, if it weren't N.E.W.T. year," Rose said, sitting beside him. "I need to have good grades if I'm going to become a Healer, or if I happen to change my mind and elect to go into a different field." She shook her head a moment later. "Enough about me. I heard all about it from Scorpius and Serena this morning." A smile spread across her face. "How's Tara doing?"

Fred poked her side and grinned. "She's good. She finally got a promotion at the _Prophet_ , so she isn't reserved to fetching and carrying for the more senior members. A couple more years and I think that she'll have her own column, but we'll see. I know that's the goal right now, and if all goes well, editor in the future, but we'll see."

"I'm glad things are going well for her," Rose said. "For that matter, I'm glad that you finally worked the guts up to ask her out. How long did you have a crush on her? It started in what, third year? And you asked her out last fall, so that makes it... Six years or so?" She laughed when she saw the traces of a blush on his cheeks. "Aw, don't be ashamed, Freddy. Some people just take time, that's all."

"I've known her since we were kids," Fred said. "It was weird."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Hey, Teddy and Vic have known each other since they were kids too, and they made it work just fine."

"Yeah, but Teddy and Vic are also a special case as far as most things are concerned," Fred said. "And anyway, it's not like their parents were best friends growing up."

"No, but Grandmum wanted Uncle Bill to marry Tonks at the beginning of everything," Rose said. "If you ask me, that's weirder than having your parents be best friends."

Fred's shoulders slumped. "Shush, you're ruining my justification for why it took me so long. Don't damage my pride, Rosie, I don't think it can handle any more of that. I might not survive."

"I'd believe you, if it weren't for the fact that it's you and you've survived every other ridiculous thing that's happened to you," Rose said, elbowing him gently. "How have things been around here?"

He straightened, a smile immediately coming to his lips. "They've been great. Dad's finally letting me manage the store on my own, but he still pops in from time to time. He says that it's just to check up on how things are going, but I think it's also because he's hoping that he'll run into some of your lot who've snuck into Hogsmeade for a bit. Al's been down here with Scorpius once or twice. How's your dad dealing with that, anyway? Is he still annoyed about it?"

Rose shrugged. "Honestly, I don't really know. I don't think he'll ever be terribly fond of Scorpius, because there's just so much history there, but I think he knows that Scorp isn't his father and that Harry wouldn't let Al hang around him if he were a bad kid, so he's getting over it. Does he accept him? I think so. Will he ever like him? Merlin only knows."

Fred nodded. "Yeah, Scorpius has never struck me as a bad sort."

Rose laughed. "Oh, not a _bad_ sort, but certainly one with a few unsavory habits."

"Who has unsavory habits?"

Rose turned around. She let out a small scream, jumped down from the counter, and threw her arms around George, who laughed and hugged her back.

"Uncle George, what are you doing here?" she asked.

He smiled. "You know I always like to come to the shop on Hogsmeade days. I don't see any of you often enough otherwise. It's not so bad once you're out of school, because then you're at the Burrow for family dinners and all of that, but right now, I only get to see you if I make an effort, so I'm doing my best." When Rose smiled, his own grin widened. "Now, tell me who has unsavory habits."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not important."

"Scorpius Malfoy," Fred said. "We were just discussing him, since I mentioned that he sneaks down to the shop sometimes."

"Well, he and Al have to get their pranking supplies _somewhere_ ," George said. "I'd hardly call that an unsavory habit though. Nearly everyone from Hogwarts sneaks down here at some point or another during their time at school."

"I've never snuck down," Rose said.

"Well, Rosie, you haven't lived," Fred said. "I'll get Al and Scorpius to take care of it, don't you worry."

She grimaced. "That's what I was afraid of."

"Don't worry, you won't get into any trouble," Fred said. "If you do, I'll take the blame."

Her brow furrowed. "Fred, you're not at school anymore. Professor McGonagall can't exactly give you detention anymore, and I'll be punished for being complicit in the affair."

"We'll just blame it on Scorpius and Al then," Fred said. "Say they kidnapped you, which might actually end up being the truth. You'll get off scot-free because you can hardly be blamed for their decisions, they won't get as severe a punishment because Merlin knows they get up to enough already, and they'll get to add kidnapping to their list of pranks that they pulled whilst they were at Hogwarts. Everyone wins."

She sighed and shook her head. "I worry about the influence that you have on those two, Fred."

George laughed. "Rosie, if you're going to blame anyone for influence, blame me. I influenced Teddy, Teddy influenced Sam, those two influenced James, Fred, Roxy, and Tara, and those four influenced Al and Scorpius. The chain leads directly back to me."

She grinned. "I know, but I like to at least _pretend_ that you're a mature adult. It doesn't work most of the time, but I don't want to make it any more difficult for myself than it already is, you know?"

"That's a battle you won't win," Fred said.

"I know," Rose said.

"There you are!"

Rose turned around to see Serena and Helena, both with an armful of items. "Sorry, Fred kidnapped me."

Serena set her armload down on the counter and smiled at Fred and George. "Hi, Fred. Hello, Mr. Weasley."

"Serena, you know you can call me George," George said. "It makes me feel old when you don't. Let me ring all of that up for you girls. Rosie, do you want anything?"

Rose shook her head. "I think there's going to be enough to last us through the next two Hogsmeade visits between those two and Scorpius."

"Where is Al, anyway?" Fred asked. "This is normally his first stop."

"He and Maddie elected to make this a date, seeing as it's our first trip out of the castle this year," Serena said. "I'm sure they'll be by at some point, but I was under strict instructions to buy some Dungbombs for Lorcan, so here I am." She grinned a moment later. "I just happened to pick up a few things for myself as well."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yeah, cause that's definitely just a few things."

Serena shrugged. "I got a little carried away."

"You're lucky you have the family and friends discount," George said. "That'll be three Galleons and two Sickles."

Serena opened her bag and fished around inside of it for a moment. She deposited the coins into George's hand, and he handed her the bag of her purchases before moving on to Helena's pile.

"So, what's next for you lot?" Fred asked. "Where have you been so far?"

"We went to Scrivenshaft's first, and then the Shrieking Shack," Rose said. "We'll probably head off to Honeydukes next. Helena needs her chocolate."

Helena glanced over at them. "Yes. Yes I do."

"I can't say I disagree with that," Fred said. "Chocolate is a very wonderful thing."

"It most certainly is," Rose said.

"So Honeydukes, and then what?" Fred asked.

"Dunno," Rose said. "Probably the Three Broomsticks, but I'm not sure. We'll just have to see where the day takes us."

"Fair enough," Fred said. He dusted his hands off on his pants and jumped down from the counter. "Well, I'll let you get back to your trip now." He bowed. "It was absolutely splendid to see you, my fair lady."

Rose laughed and curtsied. "It was splendid to see you as well, my dear sir."

George shook his head. "This family is absolutely mad." He opened his arms and grinned a moment later. "One last hug for your uncle, Rosie?"

Rose walked into his waiting arms and hugged him. "You say we're mad, Uncle George, but you're the worst of us."

He released her and winked. "I don't doubt that. Have a nice day, girls."

They chorused their goodbyes and walked out of the shop, Rose pulling the collar of her coat up as they did.

"I love your uncle," Serena said once they were out in the street. "He's fantastic. Your whole family is, actually."

"I like to think so," Rose said. "Uncle George is right though, every last one of us is mad."

"In a particularly marvelous way, though," Helena said.

"I won't argue with that," Rose said. "Honeydukes?"

Helena nodded enthusiastically. "Honeydukes."

They made their way to the sweet shop. Rose inhaled appreciatively once they were inside, and picked up a few of her favorite sweets. She was leaning against the counter waiting for Serena and Helena to purchase the candy of their choice when someone said her name. She smiled when she saw who was walking towards her.

"Hi, Monica," she said. "Hey, Nick."

The blonde smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Hi there, Rose. Fancy running into you here."

"I could say the same to you," Rose said. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're having lunch with Molly, Sam, Chelsea, and Jack," Monica said. "We just misjudged the date. We thought your Hogsmeade trip was last weekend. The Three Broomsticks is going to be a mess."

Nick gave a half-smile. "She means it too. We were trying to plan around you lot, no offense."

Rose grinned. "None taken. I'd plan around us too if I were you. I'm the one who has to plan these bloody things, you could just write me and ask for a list of dates."

Monica made a face and laughed. "Foresight isn't my strong point. We'll be sure to do that next time."

"I await your owl," Rose said. "Merlin, I feel like I'm running into everyone today. First Fred and Uncle George, now the two of you, and quite possibly four others, by the sounds of things."

Nick shrugged. "It's a particularly convenient place for all of us to meet, and it's sort of nice to revisit some of our old haunts, you know?"

Rose nodded. "I understand." When Serena and Helena approached, she looked at them. "Ready?" They murmured their agreement, and Rose looked back at Monica and Nick. "Well, I think we're going to make our way over to the Three Broomsticks now, but it was lovely to see the two of you."

"Likewise," Monica said. "Tell everyone else that we say hello."

"I will," Rose said, smiling. "Bye!"

Flanked by Serena and Helena, Rose left Honeydukes and walked to the Three Broomsticks. They claimed a table and set their things down.

"I've got drinks this time," Helena said. Before either Serena or Rose could argue, she was off to the bar.

"Well, at least she's making her own decisions," Serena said. "So, what's up in the land of Fred Weasley?"

"Not a ton, as far as I can tell," Rose said. "I got to tease him about Tara a bit, which was lovely, but so far, the only news that he really has is that Uncle George is starting to let him manage the shop."

"That's good though," Serena said. "I suppose that means we'll be running into him a lot when we're in Hogsmeade."

"So it would appear," Rose said. "I love Fred though, so I can't say I'm complaining. Did you see Al and Maddie, Alice and Declan, or Lorcan and Lil at all while we were out?"

Serena shook her head. "I can't say I did while we were out, but Lorcan and Lil are in the corner back behind you, and I wouldn't look, because they seem to be particularly interested in each other's faces right now."

"My hormone-controlled cousins," Rose said, shaking her head. "I just can't seem to escape it, no matter what I do."

"What can't you escape?" Helena set down three bottles of butterbeer and took her seat.

Serena took a sip from one of the bottles. "Her overly-hormonal cousins, that's what."

"It doesn't exactly help that she's got a lot of them," Helena said.

"Normally I love having a large family, but in situations like this, it's proving to be a bit more of a burden than I'd like," Rose said, lifting her own bottle. "Oh well. This is the struggle of a Weasley." She took a sip of her butterbeer and sighed appreciatively. "There's nothing quite like Three Broomsticks butterbeer, if you ask me."

"I'll have to agree with you," Serena said. "It really hits the spot."

They were silent for a while, content to sip on their butterbeer and relax. Rose had nearly finished hers when a particularly ruffled Scorpius Malfoy approached the table, his blond hair windswept and his eyes darting. She raised her eyebrows as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Can I help you?"

He took a deep breath. "Rose, I ask you this seriously. How much do you love me?"

Her eyes widened. “I’m sorry?"

"You know Cynthia Fadden?" he asked.

"Sixth year Ravenclaw, strawberry blonde, quite cute according to the general male population of Hogwarts, why?" she asked, taking another sip of her butterbeer.

Scorpius fell into a chair beside her. "She's been following me all afternoon with those friends of hers, Jane and Marissa, and she won't leave me alone."

"And what am I supposed to do about this?" Rose asked. "I'm not about to go up to her and tell her that you're not interested. If that's what you want, you can handle it yourself."

Scorpius ran his hand through his hair. "You know I'm not exactly opposed to spending a bit of time with someone provided we're both getting something out of it." Rose made a face. "Yeah, I know, you disapprove. The thing about Cynthia Fadden is that I could never find her particularly attractive. She looks like my cousin Adrienne, and while Adrienne is a beautiful girl, she's beautiful in the family sense of the word, and that would just be weird."

"Point taken, but I still don't understand what I have to do with any of this," Rose said.

"Act like you're here with me," Scorpius said. "She'll be here any second and if she doesn't think that I'm here with somebody, I'm done for. I can only fend her off for so long."

Rose glanced at Serena and Helena. "Do you mind?"

Serena smirked. "Oh, not at all. I think we'll go for a wander around the village. Meet you back at the castle, Rose."

"Sure," Rose said. As Serena and Helena stood up, bottles of butterbeer in hand, she looked at Scorpius. "If this backfires and people think that I'm dating you, you won't be alive to see tomorrow morning."

"Heard and understood," Scorpius said. His eyes widened a moment later. "There she is. Pretend I said something funny."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I agreed to help you, not to lie. You're an idiot."

Scorpius's mouth dropped. "You abuse me."

"No, I tell you the truth," Rose said. "There's a difference, isn't there?"

He stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "I'm hurt, Red."

"You're not hurt, you're just being overly dramatic," Rose said. "Now, seeing as I'm doing you a favor, I want another butterbeer."

Scorpius gaped at her for a moment. When all she did was lift one eyebrow, he groaned. "Fine."

She sat back in her chair as he got up and walked away. No sooner was he out of earshot than a pretty girl with red-blonde hair sank into his chair. _"You're_ here with Scorpius Malfoy?"

Rose finished off her butterbeer and smiled. "Hello, Cynthia. Merlin, no, I'm not on a date with him. We're discussing some important Head business, so if you wouldn't mind letting us take care of it, that would be much appreciated." When Cynthia didn't move, Rose's eyes narrowed. "As I said, Head business. I doubt the headmistress would be thrilled to hear that we were delayed."

"You're in Hogsmeade," Cynthia said as Scorpius came back. "Why would you be working on Head business?" She looked up and smiled at Scorpius, fluttering her eyelashes. "Hello, Scorpius."

Scorpius gave a half-smile as he sat down beside Rose. "We may be in Hogsmeade, Cynthia, but we never stop working. Right, Rose?"

"Exactly right, Scorp," Rose said. "This is a team effort."

Scorpius slung his arm around her shoulders. "It most certainly is." Cynthia looked at each of them for a moment, huffed, stood up, and walked away. As soon as the door shut, Scorpius slumped in his chair. "Rose, you are a lifesaver."

She reached for the butterbeer. "I do my best."

He stood up. "I'm going to head back to the castle. Enjoy your butterbeer, and I owe you a favor." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Thanks a million, Rose. See you."

She didn't have a chance to formulate a response before he smiled at her and left the pub. A confused expression on her face, she took a sip from the bottle and sighed. "I will never pretend to understand that boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably going to be rewriting part one of the Tedtoire fic soon (or at least rewriting a portion of it), so once this is done I'll get that up and worry about rewriting part two as well so that you guys have ~context~ for all of the OCs who are mentioned.


	6. Chapter Five

On a Tuesday afternoon in early October, Rose found herself in the library with Scorpius, Al, and Serena, each with their head bent over their respective textbooks and parchment. Rose was hurriedly scribbling down notes about Herbology as Al attempted to finish a Defense essay, Serena studied her Potions notes, and Scorpius wrote the last two inches of a piece of homework for Transfiguration.

Scorpius groaned and sat back in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did. "I can't do this. It's going to drive me absolutely mad. I need a break."

"Look at it this way, Scorpius," Rose said. "The sooner you finish with your work, the sooner you can stop working altogether and relax."

He glanced at her. "You have superhuman studying abilities, Red. The rest of us just aren't up to par with you. We don't have your powers of motivation, much as we might wish we did."

She laid her hand on his shoulder. "Scorp, if you finish this, I promise I won't wake you up for breakfast on Saturday and you can sleep in as long as you want, and I also won't complain about Quidditch getting in the way of Head duties for two weeks." When he sat up and opened his mouth, she shook her head. "No, I'm not going to make it for the rest of term, so don't even bother asking."

He slumped in his chair again. "Fine... I suppose that's a fairly decent offer. But you're coming down to the kitchens with me on Saturday whenever I wake up."

"So long as you don't wake up just in time for lunch, I'll do that," Rose said. "Now, finish your work. It won't kill you."

He sighed. "If I have to."

Al looked up from his essay. "Rose, have you finished this yet?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I finished it three days ago, why?"

"Did you finish the Potions homework?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Rose said. "Last night, and yes, I finished my Transfiguration work two nights ago. Why do you ask?"

"Do you actually _need_ to do anything right now?" Al asked.

"Not really," Rose said. "I mean, I need to revise for Herbology, but I don't have any outstanding assignments at the moment, if that's what you're asking."

"Why are you here?" Serena asked. "You don't need to be. You could be off reading or something."

Rose shrugged. "I have an easier time getting work done when I'm surrounded by other people who are getting work done."

Al raised his eyebrows. "We're terrible at getting work done. Why did you pick us?"

"I'm related to you," Rose said. "I like Rena, and Scorpius is just an unfortunate part of the package." When the blond boy made a face at her, she grinned. "Only joking."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you are."

"Please don't be too civil in front of me," Al said. "It scares me."

"I'll bet it does," Rose said. "Aren't you supposed to be a Gryffindor?"

Al made a face at her as a grin spread across Serena's face. "Don't look now, Rose, but a certain dark-haired Ravenclaw is approaching the table as we speak."

Rose sighed. "You're never going to let me live this one down, are you?"

"Not a chance," Serena said as Guy came to a halt beside Rose.

Rose glanced up at him, smiling. "Hey, Guy. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

He smiled. "Hey, Rose. I was just wondering if you'd help me out with some Charms work. I've been fine up until now, but I'm struggling a bit with what we learned last lesson, and I know you're an ace when it comes to that class, and everything else, really, so I thought I'd ask."

"I'm not really doing anything right now, so sure," Rose said. She glanced at Al, Serena, and Scorpius. "You lot don't mind if I go, do you?"

Al shook his head. "Please, leave us lesser beings to our misery."

Serena grinned again. "Oh, not at all. I'll see you at dinner."

Rose looked at Scorpius. "Scorp?"

He shrugged, his gaze trained on his Transfiguration homework. "I'm not your keeper. If you want to go, then go ahead."

"Ooo-kay," she said. She looked at Guy again. "Well, I guess that's your answer. Just give me a second." He nodded, and she proceeded to collect her things and put them into her bag. When she was done, she smiled. "All right, let's go." As they wandered out of the library, she glanced at him. "Where shall we do this? I'd say the library, but I don't really know if that would be the best idea."

"There's plenty of empty classrooms," he said. "We can just use one of those."

"I see why they put you in Ravenclaw," Rose said, laughing.

He glanced at her, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah, I'll bet."

They wandered through the corridors until they stumbled onto an appropriately empty classroom. Rose dropped her bag on a bench and sat down on the edge of the teacher's desk with a sigh.

"Long day?" Guy asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I had class all morning, and I was revising for Herbology, and to be perfectly honest, I'd be very happy to skip dinner and go straight to bed."

He walked over to her and sat on the desk as well. "If you're really tired, I don't want to make you help me."

"You asked, and I don't want to say no," Rose said. "As Head Girl, it's my duty to help out whenever I can."

"I'd rather you helped me because you wanted to, not because a title makes you feel like you have to," he said. "We can do something else, you know."

She watched him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She stretched her arms out in front of her and then clasped her hands in her lap. "Like what?"

"Dunno." He shrugged. "We can wander down to the kitchens and grab a bite to eat, we can go for a stroll around the grounds, we can talk about our lives, we can get to know each other better... It's up to you."

She smiled. "Well, I think a bit of food and a stroll around the grounds sounds lovely. It might be just what I need to wake me up, and I promise that we'll deal with your Charms questions tomorrow."

"I look forward to it." He straightened and turned to smile at her, holding his hand out as he did. "Shall we?"

She put her hand in his and let him help her to her feet. "We shall."

Once they were in the kitchens, pasties in hand, he looked at her. "So it's tiring being a Head, then?"

She groaned. "Merlin, you have no idea. I mean, Scorpius and I are mates and all, but we live to annoy each other, so that makes things even more complicated than they already are, and there's always something that needs to be dealt with, whether it's the detention reports that the prefects fill out for us or whatever else. If I'm not in class or doing assignments, I'm probably taking care of Head business. I don't get anywhere near as much time to myself or to relax as I'd like, and I mean, I wanted this position, so I'm trying very hard not to complain, but it gets progressively more difficult. I need it to be the winter holidays so that I can sleep."

"I take it that means that making good on your promise to have a good time this year is rather difficult," he said.

"I'll say," she said. "I barely have enough time to eat and sleep, let alone have fun."

He stood up. "Well, consider this part of my promise that I'm going to help you enjoy yourself this year. Let's go for that walk."

She smiled. "That sounds great."

They wandered up to the Heads' dormitory so that Rose could drop off her bag, and then out of the castle and down towards the Quidditch pitch (Rose made a quiet statement that a walk around the Black Lake was terribly cliché). A gust of wind blew as the stands came into sight, and Rose shivered.

Guy glanced at her. "You all right?"

"Fine," she said, rubbing her arms. "I just didn't think to grab a coat before we left the castle."

He laughed. "I'd offer you mine, but as you can see, I don't have one, so..." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side. "Better?"

She nodded, hiding a smile. "Much."

They walked in silence for a while, and when they began to make a circle around the pitch, he spoke. "So, your brother and Lily are the last of the Weasley clan to go through Hogwarts, huh?"

"They are, yeah," Rose said. "It's a bit odd for all of us, honestly. There's been at least one of us here for pretty much as long as I can remember. I was five when Vic started, and three when Teddy did, and he might not have been an official member of the family at that point, but he was pretty damn close, so I'm used to having someone else here."

Guy chuckled. "Not me, but then again, that's what happens when you're a Muggleborn."

"I thought your uncle worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Rose said.

"Oh, he does, but he's Muggleborn too," Guy said. "There seems to be magical blood in every generation, because my great aunt was a witch, but Uncle Kevin's parents were both Muggles, as are mine, and so are my brothers and my sister."

"I can't help but wonder when they'll finally figure out how magic is passed down in families," Rose said. "I feel like it's such an interesting topic. I'm surprised there aren't more people working on it right now."

"I'm sure they'll sort it out eventually," Guy said. "I don't see why they wouldn't. It just isn't as pressing an issue as it once was, seeing as your family and family friends have done such a fantastic job of reorganizing the power structure ever since the war."

"I suppose so, yeah," Rose said. "They've done their best to sort everything out. I don't think anybody wants a repeat of what happened."

"I'd be inclined to agree with you," Guy said. "Their best is pretty great, if you ask me."

Rose nodded. "I'd have to say the same. They've tried very hard."

Guy laughed. "It shows."

"But anyway, back to the topic at hand," Rose said. "You have siblings?"

"I do," he said. "An older brother and sister, and a younger brother as well. Julius is twenty-two, Carly is nineteen, and Bevan is fifteen. I'm the only one of the lot with magic though, much to Bevan's displeasure."

"I'm sure it drives him absolutely mad that you can do your chores with magic now," Rose said, laughing. "I know it annoys Hugo, but then again, it might be worse, because he's got magic, he just can't use it at home yet."

"Oh, it drives Bev up the wall," Guy said. "He's been even more annoyed by it lately because Julius moved out two years ago and Carly and her best mate got a flat for uni, so neither of them are home to help him out and he's stuck doing everything while I'm gone. Half the time I do everything by hand just so that I don't wake up dead in the morning."

"Well, we couldn't have that, could we?" Rose asked.

He shook his head. "Definitely not."

She smiled. "I'd tell you about my family, but there isn't exactly anything that's a secret, so how about we just walk?"

"That sounds like a great idea," he said.

They wandered around the outside of the pitch for a while, and only stopped when Rose sighed. "We should probably head back up for dinner. I don't want Rena and the others to think I'm dead or anything."

"As if I would ever try to murder you." Guy squeezed her shoulders gently. "But I get your point."

When they reached the entrance hall, Rose smiled. "Thank you for this. I needed it."

He bowed slightly. "It's always a pleasure." He grinned when she laughed. "I like that I can make you do that."

He removed his arm from her shoulders when they entered the Great Hall, and she touched his shoulder gently. "I'll see you in Charms tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah," he said. "Please don't hit me for what I'm about to do." She barely had time to raise her eyebrows before he kissed her cheek and smiled. "See you tomorrow, Rose." He tucked his hands into his pockets and walked off to the Ravenclaw table, whistling the whole way.

She shook her head and walked along the Gryffindor table until she reached her friends. Serena grinned at her as she sat down. "So, Rose, anything interesting happen?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Rena, I swear you're more invested in all of our love lives than you are in your academics."

"A girl needs some excitement in her life, and seeing as I don't have a relationship of my own to be invested in..." Serena trailed off. "Seriously, did anything interesting happen?"

Rose shrugged. "Not really. I told him that I was tired, so we ended up going down to the kitchens and then for a walk instead of working on Charms."

"Yeah, he definitely didn't need your help," Serena said.

"Why would he have asked, then?" Rose asked, helping herself to the potatoes.

Alice and Serena exchanged a look, and Alice shook her head. "Oh, Rose... You're so smart, and yet so incredibly stupid."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"The boy likes you," Serena said.

"What makes you say that?" Rose asked. "He just needed my help, that's all, and we're mates, so I said yes."

"I did a bit of digging at Rena's request," Helena said. "Do you know who has the third-highest average in Charms right now?"

Rose tilted her head. "Who?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Merlin, you're dense. That should have been a rhetorical question. Helena, please enlighten her."

"Got it," Helena said. She looked at Rose. "Highest is you, then that guy right there," she pointed at Scorpius, who sat one seat down and across the table from Rose, "and then Guy. Your average is only three-quarters of a percentage point higher than Scorpius's, and Scorpius is only two percentage points higher than Guy."

"So as you can see, he definitely didn't need your help," Alice said. "As Rena said, the boy likes you. Isn't that right, Scorpius?"

Scorpius paused in the middle of his conversation with Al and Lorcan to look over at them. "Sorry, what?"

"Guy definitely likes Rose, doesn't he?" Alice asked.

"Uh, sure," Scorpius said.

"Wow, you're a real help," Alice said. "Anyway, Rose, he was only asking you for help with Charms because he wanted to have an excuse to spend time with you. If you don't believe us now, just give it a couple weeks and see what happens. He's definitely interested in you."

Rose's brow furrowed. "How in Merlin's name did you figure out what our averages are, Hel? I don't even know my exact one."

"Well, it's a ninety-eight point four," Helena said. "As for how... I have my ways."

"I'm not sure if I should be amazed or scared," Rose said.

Helena shrugged. "Either's good."

Alice shook her head. "Merlin, Rose, did you completely miss what I said? Guy Whitby fancies you. I'm sure of it."

Rose flushed. "Sorry, Ali. Do you really think so?"

Serena cooed. "Aww, our little Rosie is going to have her first boyfriend. Somebody get me a camera. I need to document this moment."

Rose picked up a roll and threw it at Serena, all the while conscious of the heat in her cheeks. "Shut up, you."

Serena grinned and reached for the shepherd’s pie. "I'm sorry that you can't handle the truth, dear."

"I'm sure you are," Rose said. She looked at Scorpius. "We need to take care of the detention reports after dinner."

He glanced at her. "Whatever you say, oh incredibly wise and talented Head Girl."

She raised her eyebrows. "Everything all right there, Scorp?"

"Yeah, fine," he said, going back to his food. "After dinner. Got it."

She watched him for a moment and then shook her head. "Okay then."

After dinner, she let Scorpius lead the way up to the common room. He walked with his hands tucked in his pockets, his mouth drawn. The entire way up, he didn't look in her direction once, instead keeping his gaze trained on the corridor in front of them. Once they entered the common room, she grabbed the stack of detention reports off of the table in the corner and passed half of them to Scorpius. He reached for one of the quills and the ink that sat on the table in front of the couch before beginning to read through the reports and initial the bottom corner to show that the detentions were read and approved.

After a few minutes of silence broken only by the sound of their quills scratching against the parchment, Rose looked at him. "You sure you're all right?"

"Positive," he said, his focus on the reports. "Why do you keep asking?"

"Normally you'd be cracking jokes or doing your best to make me lose focus right now," she said. "It's not like you to sit so quietly through this."

He shrugged. "I'm fine, Rose."

"And you called me Rose, which only happens when something bad happened or you need something from me," she said. "You're not doing a very good job of convincing me, Mister Malfoy."

"What do you want me to do, Rose?" he asked. "Chase you around the common room and threaten to get ink all over your clothes? I mean, I can do that if you'd like me to, but it doesn't seem like a particularly efficient use of our time."

"No, it doesn't," Rose said, looking back at the pile of parchment on her lap. "If you're sure..."

"I'm sure," he said. "Let's just get these reports done, okay?"

She glanced at him and then nodded. "Yeah."

When they were finished, he set his half of the reports in a stack on the table and stood up, loosening his tie as he did. "I'm heading out. Don't expect me back tonight."

"Oh," Rose said, setting her own stack of reports on top of his. "Okay then."

He nodded to her. "Don't wait up."

With that, he left the common room. She stayed there on the center of the couch for a while, staring at the seat he had vacated, and then shook her head, stood up, and went to take a shower.

Three days later, Scorpius still hadn't returned to normal. He spent very little time in the common room, and rumors had begun to float around about the girls he was spending time with. Rose did her best to ignore it, but not even a few study sessions with Guy were enough to take her mind off of Scorpius's odd behaviour (She wasn't about to admit that she'd been awake until three in the morning on Wednesday night waiting for him to come back to the dormitory. Definitely not).

Her last class of the day that Friday afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and she and Serena walked entered the room together, Alice and Helena not far behind. Rose was about to set her things down at her usual table when she glanced at the front of the room. Seeing who stood there, she froze.

Victoire grinned. "Hey there, Rosie."

Teddy winked. "How's it going?"

Rose set her bag on her chair and walked up to them. "What are you two doing here? Where's Professor Valance?"

Victoire's smile widened. "Just wait until everyone else gets here, and then you'll have an answer to both your questions. I'd put your bag by the wall, though. It's going to be a practical lesson today, so we'll be clearing all of the tables shortly."

Rose nodded slowly. "Okay then..."

Teddy clapped her on the shoulder. "It's all good, Rosie. You're going to have a good class today."

"I certainly hope so," Rose said. "I'm assuming practical lesson means wands out?"

"That it does," Victoire said. "By the way, Rosie, I'm spending the night so that I can see Lily. If you'd like to join us, you're welcome to."

Rose smiled. "That would be great. You two can come to the Heads' dormitory, if you'd like." Her smile faded. "Scorpius hasn't been around all that much, so we don't need to worry about disturbing him, I don't think. I'll tell him just to be sure, but it shouldn't be a problem."

Victoire tilted her head. "Is everything all right?"

Rose shrugged. "I mean, yeah." She began to play with the end of her braid. "I'll tell you and Lily tonight, how about that? She's going to want to hear all of it anyway."

Victoire inclined her head. "All right."

Teddy cleared his throat. "It looks like everybody's here, so..."

A small smile appeared on Rose's face. "I'll go back to my friends, Teddy, don't you worry."

His eyes widened. "I wasn't—"

Rose laughed. "I know. I'm only playing."

He tugged on her braid. "Go back to your friends, Rosie."

She stuck her tongue out at him and then went back over to Serena, who had been joined by Alice and Helena in the time that Rose had been gone. The tables flew to the walls as soon as Rose picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

Serena raised her eyebrows. "What are they doing here?"

"Dunno," Rose said. "They said I'd find out when everyone else does, which should be any second since we're all here now."

Serena opened her mouth to respond, but wasn't given the chance. Teddy's voice rang out through the room. "If we could have your attention, please." The students turned to face the front of the room. Teddy stood with his wand hanging loosely in his hand, Victoire right next to him. His expression was serious as he looked around, but he winked at Rose as his gaze met hers. "I don't know most of you, but regardless, hello. My name is Teddy Lupin, and I'm currently a member of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. More specifically, a member of the Auror office. This is my partner, who is perfectly capable of introducing herself, so I'll let her do it."

Victoire nodded to the room. "I remember most of you, though most of you probably won't remember me. I was Head Girl when you were first-years. My name is Victoire Lupin, though all of you knew me as Victoire Weasley."

"You may refer to us as Auror Lupin and Auror Weasley for simplicity's sake," Teddy said. "You're probably wondering why we're here, and why the tables were cleared, and even if you weren't, I'm going to tell you anyway." Rose smiled at that, and he continued. "Professor Valance is currently at our training facilities terrifying—" He exhaled sharply when Victoire elbowed him in the side. "Sorry, _educating_ the trainees. As a result, Professor McGonagall asked Auror Weasley and myself to come and teach a class in her stead, so we're going to be having a bit of practical fun today. Would you care to tell them what we'll be doing, love?"

Victoire smiled. "It would be my pleasure." She looked around the room as she spoke, meeting the gazes of each and every student. "We're going to have a bit of dueling practice." When everybody began to whisper, she lifted her hand. The talking stopped, and her smile became mischievous. "This is going to be some good, old-fashioned dueling. Jinxes are legal, as are a few hexes, so I hope you've mastered the art of a Shield Charm. We'll pass out lists of the legal spells, and while you take a look at those, we're going to partner you up. We're not going to have you go pair by pair, as we'd like to believe that you're capable of controlling yourselves enough that you don't need constant supervision, but we will be wandering around the room watching you and offering advice. Please try not to send each other to the Hospital Wing."

Rose shot a glance at Scorpius, who had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. She looked at Serena. "Fat chance."

"Please don't kill him," Serena muttered. "We need both of our Heads fully functional."

"No promises," Rose whispered.

A moment later, a piece of paper floated into the space in front of her. She took it as the girls took theirs, and after a few moments, Alice chuckled. "Rose, you'll have fun with this."

"What makes you say—oh," Rose said. A smile spread across her face. "Yeah, I definitely will."

It wasn't long before Victoire began to announce the partners. Rose didn't pay much attention until she heard Scorpius's name, followed by her own.

Fifteen minutes later, they were engaged in a heated duel. Despite the fact that their list of spells was rather limited, the two outstripped the majority of the class in terms of both their speed and their abilities. Both could cast a silent Shield Charm, as well as various nonverbal jinxes, and it kept the duel fast-paced and furious.

"Rictumsempra!" Scorpius said.

Rose threw up a shield. Scorpius's jinx deflected off of it. She lifted her wand. "Avis! Oppugno!"

A flock of finches appeared and flew at Scorpius. With a wave of his wand, he transfigured them into chess pieces, and they clattered to the floor. He was in the middle of casting his next spell when Rose silently cast one spell that nearly everyone knew to fear from the girls of the Weasley-Potter clan. A group of winged bogeys flew at him and overtook him, and it wasn't until he threw his wand to the ground that Rose waved her wand and vanished them.

"Well fought, Rose," Teddy said. "I see that Ginny got to you too."

Rose grinned. "I think she got to all of us, Ted—Auror Lupin."

Teddy rolled his eyes. "You only have to call me that if someone's paying attention." He glanced at Scorpius, who approached them. "Not bad, Scorpius. Just a little faster and a bit more anticipation and you'll be able to at least last against Rose, if not beat her. You want to be an Auror, right?"

Rose left them to their conversation and made her way over to where her bag sat against the wall. She was rummaging inside of it when she heard somebody cough behind her. When she stood up and turned around, Victoire was standing there, her hands on her hips.

"If I'm not mistaken, that wasn't just a duel between friends," Victoire said.

Rose groaned. "He's been acting like a prat for the last few days and I've got absolutely no idea why. Seeing as he won't talk to me, I was hoping that knocking him around a bit would at least make him angry enough that he'd at least say something to me, even if it's just yelling at me, but clearly my plan didn't succeed."

Victoire nodded. "I see." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I should probably get back to my official duty here, but we'll talk more about it tonight, all right?"

"I have a feeling you wouldn't let me get away with not talking about it," Rose said.

Victoire laughed. "Yeah, that's probably true."

Before Victoire and Teddy dismissed the class, Rose went up to Scorpius, who was leaning up against the wall beside the door. He met her gaze as she approached, his face expressionless. "Can I help you?"

She swallowed. "Uh, Vic is staying tonight because she wants to visit with me and Lily, so I was thinking we could have a girls' night in our dormitory, so I was hoping you could stay in Gryffindor Tower or something, if that's all right."

Scorpius straightened and adjusted the position of the strap that went across his shoulder. His tone was even, if not cool, when he spoke. "Don't worry, Rose, I have an outstanding appointment tonight. You won't see me."

Rose bit her lip. "Well, that's, uh, good, I guess?"

"I'm glad you think so," he said. "Is there anything else?"

Rose shook her head. "Uh, no."

"You'll have to excuse me, then," Scorpius said.

He walked over to Al and Lorcan, the former clapping him on the shoulder. Rose reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

That night found her sitting on one of the couches of the Heads' common room, her legs beneath a blanket. Victoire sat at the other end of the couch, and Lily was sitting on the floor, her back resting against the couch's base.

Victoire took a sip from her mug of hot chocolate and set it on the table. "So what's this about Scorpius acting like a prat?"

Lily looked up. "Scorpius is acting like a prat? I mean, I know he's generally prat-like, but I'm assuming you mean more than usual."

Rose shrugged and then pulled the blanket up. "He's just been acting odd since Tuesday, and I don't have any idea why."

"Well, did anything happen on Tuesday that might have set him off?" Victoire asked.

Rose made a face. "Not that I can think of, honestly. I didn't talk to him too much. He was fine, and then suddenly, he wasn't. He was being extremely polite if not a bit cold while we were doing the detention reports, and I don't know how many of our interactions you've witnessed, Vic, but that's not normal for him at all."

Lily laughed softly. "I'd say not normal is an understatement. You two drive each other mad on purpose. It's your friendship."

"Exactly," Rose said. "Anyway, he hasn't been speaking to me much at all, and when he does, he's oddly polite about it." She shook her head a moment later. "Let's not talk about me and my ridiculous fellow Head. What's going on with you, Vic? How's married life treating you?"

Victoire smiled and lifted her mug of hot chocolate again. "It's fantastic."

"So we don't need to kick Teddy's ass then?" Lily asked.

Victoire took a sip from her hot chocolate and chuckled. "No, you don't need to kick Teddy's ass. Everything's really the same as it was, honestly. We've been together for so long now that all of it just comes naturally at this point. We know each other's habits and everything, so we've got a pretty good routine established."

"Any thoughts about kids?" Lily asked, grinning.

Victoire made a sputtering sound and swallowed. "Merlin, Lily. Yeah, we've talked about it, but we're not ready for anything yet."

"I want to be able to spoil lots of little Lupins," Lily asked.

"You'll get to eventually," Victoire said. "We want a few years to ourselves first. There's some traveling we want to do, and we'd need a house instead of a flat." A smirk spread across her face. "Besides, we'd be limited in certain _activities_ once we have children, so we're not quite ready for that yet."

It was Lily's turn to choke on her hot chocolate. Once she had caught her breath, she swore. "Merlin, Vic, he's like my brother. I don't need to hear that."

Victoire shrugged and lifted her mug to her lips. "Don't ask pointed questions and you won't get pointed answers."

Rose laughed. "You sort of brought that one on yourself, Lil. Besides, Al is one of Lorcan's best mates. How do you think he feels having to listen to Lorcan talk about what he gets up to with you?"

Lily shuddered. "I don't even want to think about it."

"That's probably wise," Victoire said. "It gets to be a bit too uncomfortable if you do."

"I'll say," Lily said.

They spent the night talking and laughing, and it took Rose's mind off of Scorpius—at least, it took her mind off of him long enough to let her relax and have a bit of fun with her oldest and youngest cousins.


	7. Chapter Six

Rose sat down at her usual spot in the Great Hall, and immediately let her head fall to rest on her hands. Serena reached over her to pick up the marmalade, and it wasn't until Rose groaned that the blonde gave any sort of response to her friend's present state.

"What's got you in a twist?" Serena asked.

Rose's voice was muffled when she spoke. "He's still being a prick."

"So he's not talking to you, then?" Serena asked. "It's been what, two weeks?"

Rose lifted her head and nodded. "Two weeks, we've had a bunch of Head stuff to take care of, and he does whatever he needs to, but he never says anything more to me than absolutely necessary and he avoids looking at me as much as possible."

Serena shook her head and put some kippers on her plate. "I don't know what to tell you, Rose. Boys are strange."

"They're more than strange," Rose said. "They're absolutely infuriating."

"Well, that's true too." Serena took a sip from her goblet and shrugged. "I'd just let him work his way through whatever this mood is that he's in, whether it takes him three hours or three months, and just go about your business as usual. He'll get over himself eventually."

"I hope so," Rose said. "It's been a bit awkward in the dormitory as of late, but he hasn’t done anything completely terrible so I should probably be thankful for that, shouldn't I?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Serena said.

Rose rolled her eyes and reached for the porridge. "On a different note, where are Alice and Helena?"

"They were still asleep when I came down here," Serena said. "Give them ten more minutes and they'll probably be along. If not, I'll go up there and drag them both out of bed myself."

Rose clapped Serena on the shoulder. "You're a true friend, Rena, saving them from the horror that is sleeping through breakfast and not being able to eat until lunch unless they go to the kitchens."

Serena grinned. "I do my best."

"I'm sure you do," Rose said.

They were joined a few moments later by a rather disheveled-looking Lily, who sat down across from Rose and reached for the toast without a word.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Everything all right there, Lil?"

Lily looked at Rose, her brown eyes bleary. "I was up until two in the morning finishing my Defense essay last night. Do you think that means everything is all right?"

"Point taken," Rose said. "Eat something, it'll help."

"That was the plan," Lily said. "How are things on the Scorpius front?"

Rose made a face. "Nothing's changed."

"Don't waste your time on him then," Lily said. "It's Hogsmeade this weekend. Who are you going with?"

"I don't know," Rose said. "I'm probably going to go down with Rena and Helena again. Alice is meeting Declan, as per usual, so she's not going to be joining us."

"Can you really blame her?" Lily asked. "She only gets to see him once a month or so. They need every second they can get."

"Is that going how you're going to be with Lorcan next year?" Serena asked.

Lily reached for her goblet and shrugged. "We'll see. I don't know how much time he'll have off or if he'll be able to get away for Hogsmeade weekends, so I'm trying to be as practical as possible about the whole thing."

"Besides, it's not like he won't be around much during the holidays," Rose said. "We see him all the time. His family is always invited to everything, since our parents are close to Luna. Lil's going to have no shortage of time with him."

"We'll sort it out," Lily said. "We've still got a while before we really need to think about it, so I'm not too concerned."

"What is Lily not concerned about?" That was Alice, who sat down beside Lily as Helena took the open seat to Rose's left.

"Figuring out how she's going to see Lorcan next year once we've all graduated," Serena said.

Alice nodded. "I totally understand. Pass me the porridge, Rose?"

Rose did as she was asked. "You're lucky that the boys in your lives are reasonable people who don't ignore you for days on end for no logical or obvious reason."

"The boys in our lives aren't Scorpius Malfoy, that's why," Lily said. "It'll all sort itself out, Rose, don't you worry."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Rose said.

Lily laughed. "It's going to be fine. Speaking of boys, what's up with mister lovely Ravenclaw?"

Rose's eyes widened. "I—Lily!"

"It's a perfectly valid question," Lily said. "You two have been talking a lot lately. You've had, what, six so-called study dates in the last two weeks? He might've asked you out, how are we meant to know if you don't tell us?"

Rose stirred her porridge for a moment before replying. "Nothing's happened, we're just hanging out, that's all."

"Is that what the kids call it these days?" Serena asked, a wicked smile on her face.

Rose groaned. "It's too early for this. Ask me again later, and when I say ask me later, I mean don't ask me for another six months."

"No promises on that one, Rose," Alice said. "We have to know what's going in your life so that we can have a bit of fun teasing you about it."

"I know, and it's miserable," Rose said. "Remind me of why I'm friends with the lot of you again?” She held up her hand when Lily opened her mouth. “Lily, don't answer that, we're related."

Serena grinned. "You're friends with us because we're absolutely brilliant and your life would be incredibly dull without us in it."

"What she said," Alice said. "You know you'd be considerably less happy if we weren't around."

Rose sighed. "That's probably true, much to my dismay. Damn the lot of you for being too amazing and counterbalancing the annoying bits."

"That's what friends are for," Alice said.

After breakfast, as Rose was leaving the Great Hall, somebody called her name. She turned around to see Guy, and waited for him to catch up with her.

When he reached her, he slung his arm around her shoulders. "So, Rose, shall we head to Charms?"

She laughed and nodded. "I don't suppose you're going to leave me any choice in the matter."

He shook his head as they started to walk. "As a Ravenclaw, it is my duty to foster learning wherever I go, and that includes not letting our magnificent Head Girl skip class just because she's tired."

"I'm flattered that you're so invested in the education of everyone here," Rose said. "As for skipping, I would never actually. The only times I've ever missed class have been because I was too sick to actually get up and go, and sometimes I still try even then. You can ask Rena, she'll tell you that I'm not lying."

"I never doubted you for a second," Guy said. "You're a very trustworthy person."

"I'm glad that you think so," Rose said.

He smiled. "Good."

They were nearly to the Charms classroom when he cleared his throat. Rose glanced up at him, and he smiled sheepishly. "So, Rose, I've been meaning to ask you, would you care to—"

"Rose."

Rose paused just inside the doorway to the classroom and looked to her right. Scorpius stood there, his face as expressionless as it had been for the last few weeks. He nodded to her when she looked at him.

Rose sighed. "Yes, Scorpius?"

He kept his gaze fixed on her face as he spoke. "We have to go over the detention reports, and I'd like to get it done tonight. I have Quidditch practice tomorrow and I'd prefer to have them done as soon as possible."

"I suppose that's reasonable," Rose said. "Meeting room at eight o'clock?"

He nodded. "Eight o'clock."

With that, he turned and walked over to his seat beside Al, who was engaged in a discussion with Lorcan and Lysander at the table behind them. Rose looked at Guy. "Sorry about that. What was it you wanted to ask me?"

Guy ruffled his hair. "Uh, I was wondering if—"

"All right, class, take your seats. We'll begin in a moment." Professor Flitwick's voice filled the room, cutting off Guy's question.

Rose smiled and touched his arm gently. "Later, okay?"

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, later."

She went and took her seat beside Serena. Serena raised her eyebrows. "What was that about?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. He never got the chance to ask me whatever it was he wanted to ask me. People kept interrupting."

"And by people, you mean Scorpius Malfoy," Serena said.

"Perhaps," Rose said.

"What did he want?" Serena asked.

Rose pulled out her Charms textbook and some parchment, setting them on the table in front of her. "He was just asking if we could go over the detention reports tonight. Apparently they have practice tomorrow."

"Well, at least he initiated the conversation this time," Serena said. "That's a step in the right direction."

"Yeah, I guess it is," Rose said.

"So what do you think Guy wanted to ask you?" Serena asked.

Rose was saved from answering by Professor Flitwick as he began the Charms lesson.

She rushed from class to class for the rest of the day, and spent the duration of her break for lunch in the library attempting to start the Transfiguration essay that was due the following week. After classes, she returned to the library, this time with Serena, Helena, and Alice. All four girls were entirely focused on their work, and ended up going down to the kitchens to get some dinner before they went back to their dormitories to do even more work.

She was seated on one of the couches with her Potions textbook and parchment out in front of her. Every so often, she'd scribble a note down, the sound of her quill scratching the only thing in the room. Her conversation remained unbroken until there was a knock at the door to the common room. She raised one eyebrow and spoke.

"Let them in."

The door swung open, and Guy entered the common room, his hands tucked in his pockets. She glanced at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I never got to ask you that question, and I didn't see you at all after Charms, and I sort of wanted to get it out of the way," he said.

She closed her Potions textbook and set it and the parchment on the table. "Oh, sorry. We've got all of those stacks of assignments to get through and I was hoping to have them done by this weekend so that I'd be able to enjoy the Hogsmeade trip without the looming threat of essays."

He smiled. "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?" she asked. "Hogsmeade, or the looming threat of essays?"

"Hogsmeade," he said.

She bit her lip. "Oh."

He took a deep breath and smiled again, but this time it was weak. He clasped his fingers together and met her gaze. "I've really enjoyed talking to you and I was wondering if you'd go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend."

Rose missed the door opening in the background as she gaped at him. "Like a date?"

He nodded. "Like a date, yeah."

She fought the urge to smile widely, instead letting a small grin slip onto her lips. "That sounds lovely."

"Great," he said, a broad grin on his face. "That's really great."

Someone coughed, and Rose's gaze turned to Scorpius, who stood just inside the doorway. His arms were crossed, his tie loose, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He raised one eyebrow. "I hate to interrupt this little rendezvous, but Rose, we were meant to start working on the detention reports ten minutes ago."

Rose stood up. "Oh, Merlin, I'm sorry. I was working on getting notes for that Potions essay. I'm coming right now." She glanced at Guy. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He smiled again and nodded. "Yeah, definitely."

Guy left the common room first. Rose followed Scorpius out after that, and he led the short way down the corridor to the meeting room. He had already divided the stack of reports, and one pile sat in front of Rose's usual seat. She reached for them as she sat down, and for a while, the only sound was their quills scratching against the parchment.

He broke the silence eventually, though his gaze remained on the reports in front of him. "So, you and Whitby are a couple now?"

Her brow furrowed, and she glanced at him through her lashes. He didn't look at her. "We're not really a couple. He just asked me to Hogsmeade, that's all."

Scorpius moved the report in front of him to the completed pile that sat on the table between them. "Well, on the off chance that you do start dating seriously, I hope you'll actually follow our agreement. I've little interest in seeing Whitby first thing in the morning. It would spoil my appetite."

Rose's eyes widened. "I'm not about to bring him back to the dormitory, even if we do start dating. Some people might feel comfortable jumping into bed with someone they haven't been seeing for very long, and more power to them if they do, but I don't. And that's just rude, Scorpius. Guy is perfectly nice."

"I'm not talking about how nice he is," Scorpius said. "I simply don't have any interest in seeing him in my dormitory first thing in the morning."

Rose initialed the report in front of her and moved it to the completed pile. "Well, you don't have to worry about it."

"Good."

"Good."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They finished the reports in silence, and once they were done, Rose led the way back to the dormitory. She gathered up her things and went into her room. The door swung shut behind her, the click echoing through the room as she set the textbook down on her desk and fell back onto her bed, suddenly uninterested in doing anything more for school that night.

Scorpius was in the common room when she entered it the next morning, and she walked past him without a word to go down to breakfast. The girls were already there, and Alice raised her eyebrows as Rose sat down.

"Something's up. Spill."

Rose recited the events of the previous night, and when she was done, Serena sat back. "Well."

Helena took a bite from her toast and shook her head. "That's a bit of a mess."

"More than a bit, I'd say," Alice said. "Scorpius appears to be having some serious issues."

"Some is an understatement," Rose said. "What he said to me was completely unnecessary."

"He seems to be in a mood," Serena said. "A very long, very obnoxious mood."

"Pretty much," Rose said. "I don't even know what to say about him anymore. I think I'm going to pretend he doesn't exist and I'm only going to talk to him when absolutely necessary."

Alice nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. Don't waste your time on him if he's going to be a complete prat to you." She grinned a moment later. "Now, on to the more important thing... Guy asked you out?"

"He asked me to Hogsmeade, I don't know if that qualifies as asking me out," Rose said.

Serena smiled. "Oh, you two are going to get together, I can just feel it."

"We'll see," Rose said.

"I mean, you fancy him, don't you?" Alice asked.

Rose flushed and looked down at her plate. "Maybe a bit."

Serena rolled her eyes. "I'd say it's more than a bit, Rose. You two have been dancing around each other since September. I'm glad the boy finally worked up the courage to ask you to go on an official date with him, rather than continuing your strange progression of study dates. I'm sure the two of you are going to have plenty of fun in Hogsmeade. I'll just drag Helena around with me all day since we're going to be down there just the two of us now."

"I mean, I can come meet up with you guys later on if you want me to," Rose said.

Serena shook her head. "Merlin, no, Rose. This is your first date with him. I'm not about to ask you to cut it short just so that you can come see us. We'll be fine. Won't we, Hel?"

"Definitely," Helena said. "You enjoy your date, Rose."

"I'll try my best," Rose said.

That Saturday found her in her room rummaging around in her wardrobe as she attempted to put together an appropriate outfit for the Hogsmeade trip. Dressing for the weather always became a little bit more difficult as autumn wore on, and she didn’t want to forget any necessary articles of clothing.

"Found it," she said to herself, pulling the dark blue jumper she’d been searching for out of the depths of the wardrobe and shaking it out. She slipped it on over her shirt, closed the wardrobe, and gathered her coat, scarf, and bag. The common room was empty when she entered it, Scorpius having already left to do Merlin knew what, and she left without pause to meet Guy in the entrance hall so that they could walk down to the carriages together.

He stood by the doors, the collar of his dark grey coat flipped up against the chill. His hands were tucked in his coat pockets, and his dark hair was messy. He smiled when he saw her, and he opened his arms for a hug. She walked straight into them, and he kissed her cheek before letting her go, though he kept one arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"You look lovely, if I may say so," he said.

Rose glanced down at her grey jeans, boots, and the blue jumper that was just visible beneath her coat and scarf. She smiled at him. "Thank you. You don't look half bad yourself."

He grinned. "I'm glad to hear that. Shall we get a carriage?"

"Let's," she said.

The wind bit at her face as soon as they stepped out of the castle and into the courtyard. Guy drew her closer against his side when she shivered, and she smiled up at him gratefully. When they reached an empty carriage, Guy opened the door and gestured for her to climb in. Once she was seated comfortably, he got in as well and shut the door. The carriage began to move, and he laughed.

Rose glanced at him. "What's so funny?"

He grinned. "Nothing, I just... I've wanted to ask you out for ages, and it's kind of difficult for me to believe that we're sitting here right now."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ages?"

He shrugged. "Well, maybe not ages, but I've wanted to ask you out since that day that we ran into each other in the kitchens. There aren't many people that I can talk to so easily, especially when I don't know them well at all, and I decided I wanted to get to know you a whole lot more."

She laughed and took his hand. "Well, lucky for you, you're a pretty interesting person, so the feeling was mutual."

"That's good to hear," he said. "Where would you like to go first?"

She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear and glanced out the window. "I don't know. Honeydukes, maybe? It's cold, but I don't really want to go to the Three Broomsticks until we've walked around a bit. I'd like to save the butterbeer until the end so that it can warm up my frozen extremities, not have it now and then be cold with nothing warm coming for the rest of the trip."

"I can respect that," Guy said, smiling. "Honeydukes it is. Do you want to visit your uncle's joke shop?"

Rose shook her head. "Merlin, no. If we go in there, Fred will take it upon himself to follow us around for the rest of the trip and he'll report my every move to my father, who will inevitably write me and demand that he get to meet you the next time we have a Hogsmeade visit. While I quite like you, I don't think we're ready for that step just yet, because he might try to kill you or something."

Guy's smile widened. "Oh, you quite like me?"

She elbowed him despite the grin on her own face. "Oh, shut up."

"Anything for you, Rose," he said.

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said, laughing.

Sure enough, their first stop was Honeydukes. Rose bought herself some fudge and a few sugar quills, and once they were finished wandering through the store, they made their way out onto the street. Over the course of the next hour, they wandered in and out of nearly every shop Hogsmeade had to offer (save Madam Puddifoot's and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, for obvious reasons). Each time they stepped outside, Rose grew colder, and when they finally entered the warmth of the Three Broomsticks, she breathed a sigh of relief, only to grin a moment later.

"Hey Declan, Alice," she said, approaching the table where her friends sat. Guy followed close behind.

"Hey there, Rose," Declan said, smiling at her. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Well, whose fault is that?" Rose asked. "How are you doing?"

"Good," Declan said. "Busy, but good."

"Understandably," Rose said. "Well, we'll leave you to it. I just wanted to say hello. See you back at the castle, Ali."

Alice nodded. Guy put his hand on the small of Rose's back and guided her to a table at the back of the room.

"Butterbeer?" he asked once they had sat down.

She nodded. "Yes please."

"I'll be right back," he said.

As soon as he was gone, Serena and Helena sat down across from Rose.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Can I help the two of you?"

"How goes it?" Serena asked. "Is it good? Is he being nice? Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Rose said. "Did you really feel it was necessary to check up on me in the middle of my date?"

"Yeah, we did," Serena said. "We wanted to make sure that everything was going well and that we didn't need to provide you with an escape route. However, since it all seems to be fine and he's coming back right now, we'll leave you to it. We expect a full summary tomorrow morning."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you do. Go explore Hogsmeade or something."

"Whatever you say, miss Head Girl," Serena said. "See you later."

"Bye, Rose," Helena said.

Rose smiled. "Bye, Hel. Later, Rena."

The two girls got up and walked away as Guy came back with two butterbeers. He set one down in front of Rose and then sat down. "What did they want?"

Rose chuckled. "It was just Rena being Rena. She wanted to check up on me and make sure that everything was going okay so that she could know if she needed to provide me with an escape route, just like any decent best friend would."

"So do you need an escape route?" Guy asked.

Rose shook her head. "I don't believe I do, no. I'm enjoying myself immensely."

He grinned. "Good. I've been doing my best to make sure that this date isn't absolutely abysmal."

She laughed. "It's fine. It's quite lovely, actually. This is the sort of date I want to be on. Getting dressed up and going out to a fancy restaurant is nice every once in a while, but I'm more a fan of just spending time together and doing something fun. It keeps things entertaining."

"I agree," he said. "Everything is so much more relaxed and it's so much easier to have a good time when there isn't a pressure to look appropriate or do the conventionally right thing. This is fun."

"It is," she said. "It means that we get to know each other better too."

"Exactly," he said. "That's always important in a healthy relationship."

She nodded. "Definitely."

They continued to talk for a while. Rose stopped speaking when a shadow fell across the table. She looked up to see Scorpius standing there with a tall, slim girl on his arm. Like Serena, she had blonde hair and brown eyes, but rather than Serena's open gaze that was always full of mirth and warmth, the girl's eyes were cold and calculating. She had a pleasant smile fixed on her lips, but it didn't match the glare she cast in Rose's direction.

"Mind if we join you?" Scorpius asked. "Rose, you know Deirdre, right?"

"Deirdre Flint," Rose said. "Hi."

Deirdre lifted her chin in response. Scorpius looked at Rose. "I repeat: Mind if we join you?"

Rose glanced at Guy, who shrugged. She sighed and looked back at Scorpius. "Yeah, I suppose it's fine."

"Great," he said. He pulled out a chair for Deirdre and then sat down across from Rose. "So, how are the two of you doing?"

Guy looked at Rose and raised his eyebrows. She lifted one shoulder and let it drop, and he nodded before looking at Scorpius. "We're fine, thank you for asking."

"So your date is going well, then?" Scorpius asked.

"It's lovely, yes," Rose said. "It's excellent spending time with someone who I can talk to easily."

"You two are perfect for one another," Deirdre said. Her voice was low and sultry, and she rubbed her hand along Scorpius's bicep as she spoke. "The Muggleborn and the half-blood. How fitting."

"I'm sorry?" Rose said. "I thought blood purity wasn't meant to be an issue anymore."

Deirdre smirked. "Maybe for some, but there are those of us who happen to know better."

"And you're one of them?" Rose asked. "The last time I checked, _Deirdre_ , your father had to repeat his last year of school and was under investigation for suspected involvement in the Dark Arts. If I were you, I wouldn't be talking about who knows better. Your family is down and out. Things aren't the way they used to be."

"Easy," Scorpius said.

Rose stiffened. _"Easy?_ You're telling me to calm down? Why in Merlin's name did you bring her over here, Scorpius? Are you trying to ruin this for me?"

He lifted his hands. "Hey, I'm just trying to have a bit of a chat with my date and an old friend."

Rose laughed derisively. "Oh, we're _friends?_ Then why haven't you been talking to me for the last three and a half weeks?" She looked at Guy. "I'm sorry, I just..." She leaned over and kissed his cheek quickly, leaving him no time to respond before she stood. "I'm leaving. I can't put up with this. I'll see you tomorrow, Guy."

She shoved her hands in her pockets and left the pub. The wind pulled at her hair and bit at her face as she hurried down the street to the carriages that waited to take students back up to the castle. Scorpius caught her arm as she got into one, but she shook him off and shut the door.

He got a carriage of his own and followed her up to the castle and into the Heads' dormitory. She ripped her scarf off and threw it on the couch before whirling to face him.

"You are a complete, total, utter _git,_ Scorpius Malfoy!"

"I didn't do anything to you," Scorpius said.

Her mouth fell open. "You didn't _do_ anything to me? What the hell? Have you not seen yourself over the last few weeks?"

"I don't see how that has anything to do with this," he said.

Her hands flew to her hair as she stared at him. "You don't see it? Scorpius, you were so worried about us not being friends at the beginning of the year, and then you go and avoid me and say no more than necessary to me for almost a month and you think that's _okay?_ And then after all of that, you show up in Hogsmeade while I'm on a date and you bring a girl that you know spent all of fifth year trying to make my life as miserable as possible and you think that you can join us? Really?"

"Deirdre's a perfectly nice girl, if you'd just get to know her—"

Rose swore. "Don't you get it, you bloody git? I was on a _date_. I was having a great time with a nice guy who treats me like a valuable human being, and it was going so well until you showed up and tried to ruin it. You _know_ how I feel about Flint, Scorpius. You know. Merlin, you were the one who saw me that night. You know exactly what she did to me and you brought her to my table."

His eyes narrowed. "What she did was hardly that bad."

"You know how much I liked Jasper Frazer, Scorpius," Rose said. "We were practically together and then she slept with him and had the nerve to rub him in my face for the rest of the year, and then she got Vince Warrington to try to—" Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard before continuing, all the while conscious of the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "The point is, you know exactly how that made me feel and you know exactly how much it messed me up, and you still brought her around. How could you do that to me? What the hell is your problem? I haven't done _anything_ to you that would warrant this."

"Merlin, Rose, lighten up," Scorpius said.

She began to laugh, and then her laughs turned into sobs as she sank down on the couch. "She convinced Vince Warrington that he should force himself on me and you're telling me to lighten up?" Her voice began to shake as she looked at him, tears pouring down her face. "You know what, Malfoy? Never speak to me again, and don't you dare show your face to me outside of school, because I just might curse it off."

He swallowed, his eyes suddenly soft. "Rose, I didn't—"

"Save it," she said. "You knew exactly what this would do to me, and if you're willing to do that, I don't want you in my life."

His face hardened. "Fine, Weasley. Enjoy being miserable."

With that, he stormed out of the common room. She pulled her knees to her chest and sank further into the couch, the sobs coming with a renewed force.


	8. Chapter Seven

Rose did her best to avoid Scorpius after their argument. She sat on the opposite side of the room from him in every class, neither looked at him nor acknowledged his presence at meals or in the common room, and just generally pretended that he didn't exist. It only served to confuse Serena and Al, both of whom pestered their best friends for days in an attempt to get an answer as to what had gone wrong, but neither Rose nor Scorpius seemed to be willing to share the details of their fight with even their closest friends. Each time Serena brought up the subject, Rose would either change the topic of conversation or find a reason to leave. Even Guy seemed to have realized that something was wrong, but he didn't press, and Rose was more grateful for that than she could ever express to him.

The Wednesday following their fight found Rose sitting in the Great Hall absentmindedly pushing her food around her plate. Her cheek rested against her fist as she stared off into the distance, and it took Lily sitting down across from her with an exasperated sigh to break Rose out of her reverie.

Rose set her fork down and look at Lily. "What's wrong? That's your there's-something-going-on-and-I-don't-like-it sigh."

"My boyfriend is a bloody prat, that's what," Lily said.

Rose lifted her head off of her hand, her brow furrowing. "What? You two never fight."

"Well, there's a first for every bloody thing," Lily said. "Including forgetting that it's our anniversary, apparently."

Rose chuckled. "Lil, I'm sure it was an accident. You know the boy loves you."

"Maybe, but it's our two-year anniversary today and he hasn't said anything to me about it," Lily said. "In fact, I've barely even seen him today. He didn't say two words to me at breakfast, and I only saw him for about five seconds when he walked past me on his way to Transfiguration. What am I supposed to think, Rose?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know, Lil. All I can say to you is that boys are quite stupid sometimes and you're better off not wasting your time worrying about them when they clearly don't have your best interests at heart."

Lily raised one eyebrow. "Why do I get the feeling that you're not talking about me and Lorcan when you say that?"

"Sorry, I..." Rose trailed off. "Sorry. I'm just a bit rattled is all."

"Yeah, and you've been a bit rattled since Hogsmeade," Lily said. "Did something happen?"

"Yes," Rose said. "No. I don't know."

"Well, if you want to tell me anything, I'll listen, but I'm not going to push," Lily said.

Rose sighed. "I haven't really told anybody, because I don't want the details flying around, so you're sworn to secrecy, but Scorpius and I had a full-out fight on Saturday after we got back from Hogsmeade and I'm not sure if we're ever going to speak to each other again."

"You guys fight all the time though," Lily said.

"Yeah, I know, but this was a real fight," Rose said. "As in, I told him to never speak to me again and that I'd curse his face off if I ever see him outside of school."

"What did he do?" Lily asked. "It had to have been bad if he managed to make you that upset."

Rose bit her lip. "I told you about what happened with Warrington, right?"

Lily stiffened. "Yeah, and you had to talk me down so that I wouldn't send him or Flint to the Hospital Wing. I remember perfectly."

"Well, Scorpius thought it would be an absolutely brilliant idea to not only go on a date with Flint, but also to bring her over to the table I was sitting at with Guy and join us on our date," Rose said. "I just can't believe he'd do something like that to me. I don't know if I'm ever really going to be able to forgive him, you know? He'd better have a damn good reason for why he brought her along, or I don't think we'll ever get anywhere with this. I don't know what to do, Lil."

"Well, I can see why you don't want anybody to know why the two of you fought," Lily said. "My problem seems absolutely pathetic in comparison."

"It's not pathetic," Rose said. "You guys have been together for two years and it's obnoxious that he forgot about today. I completely get it. Just because I'm having issues doesn't mean that your problems are unimportant."

Lily shrugged. "Well, they pale in comparison to this one. Honestly, Rose, I don't know if I'd forgive him if I were you. That was a really awful thing that he did, whatever his reasons are. Just because he's having whatever issues he's having doesn't mean that he should try to mess things up for you. How did Guy take it?"

"Okay, I guess," Rose said. "I talked to him about it on Sunday and I didn't really give him any details, but we went for a walk before dinner on Monday and spent a while in the library together yesterday, so I think we're good. I feel bad that I left our date like that, but Scorpius just infuriated me so much..."

"Understandably," Lily said. "You know what's interesting about this, though?"

"What?" Rose asked.

"Even though he did a completely horrible thing, you're calling Scorpius by his name," Lily said. "You haven't resorted to calling him Malfoy."

Rose stared at the table for a while. "I called him Malfoy to his face. I think that only made things worse though." She looked at Lily, feeling the tears prick at the corners of her eyes. "I thought we were mates, you know? I just don't understand why he would do something like this to me. I haven't done anything at all to him and suddenly he's trying to ruin everything for me."

Lily pursed her lips. "I doubt he sees it that way. Whatever's up with him, he must have some sort of justification for it in his head, or he wouldn't do something like this. He may be a complete prat, but I've spent enough time around him to know that he doesn't just _do_ things like this. He has to have a reason."

"Well, whatever it is, it had better be a good one, or I don't see us ever being friends again," Rose said. "I just... can't believe he'd do something like that, I guess."

"Can't believe who'd do something like what?"

Rose glanced up to see Serena, Helena, and Alice. The former two sat down on either side of her, and Alice took a seat beside Lily. Serena reached for the chicken and looked at Rose. "Seriously, who?"

Rose shook her head. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Rose, with you, nothing is ever _nothing_ ," Serena said. "Does it have to do with why you and Scorpius aren't speaking to each other? Because I'm really dying to know what's going on there. I mean, you two were doing so well, and then all of a sudden you won't even look at each other."

"Seriously, Rena, don't worry about it," Rose said. "I don't want to talk about it. It's not important."

"You suddenly turning into the ice queen when Scorpius is around isn't important?" Serena said. "Come on, Rose. I know something happened. Spill."

Lily dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. "Trust me when I say that you don't really need to know, Serena. Rose will deal with it on her own terms, if she so chooses, and if she doesn't, well, that's her business."

"I think the two of you are being ridiculous, personally," Alice said. "Merlin, if you'd just talk to each other..."

"What makes you say that?" Rose asked.

Alice shrugged. "I just think that you might be able to sort this whole thing out if you could manage to say more than two words to each other, that's all. Your powers of forgiveness know no bounds, Rose."

"Well, I think they might have just hit their limit," Rose said. "Honestly, I don't really want to talk about it right now. I've thought about it way too much as is, and I'm going to drive myself mad if I talk about it anymore today. Can we please focus on something else?"

"I still need your help with dealing with my incredibly oblivious and forgetful boyfriend," Lily said. "It's really bothering me."

Rose smiled. "I'll talk to him, Lil, don't worry. He's probably just focused on an essay or something and it slipped his mind. The whole thing will be sorted out. He's not the sort to do anything to make you mad on purpose. The boy loves you."

"Most of the time," Lily said. "Sometimes I think I just drive him mad."

"We all drive each other mad all the time," Rose said. "It's nothing new. It'll be fine, Lil."

"I'm glad I have you to talk to about this stuff," Lily said. "Merlin knows I'm not about to go to Al and ask him to do it, and Maddie can't really do much for me in situations like this either."

"It's what I'm here for," Rose said. "I'm the elder cousin and Head Girl. It's my duty to listen to and resolve as many problems as I can."

"So you consider it your duty to sort out other people's issues for them?" Serena asked. "Why don't you work on your own first?"

Rose groaned. "Seriously, Rena? Drop it. Please."

Serena pouted. "Fine."

Helena glanced around the table. "Does anyone know what they're writing for the Herbology essay yet, or am I the only one who's still completely lost?"

Rose laughed. "I wrote it this weekend. I'll help you out once we're done eating."

"Thanks, Rose," Helena said. "You're the best."

Rose nodded. "I know."

She caught Lorcan coming out of Defense later that afternoon. He looked at her when she caught his arm, raising his eyebrows in the process.

"What's up, Rose?"

"You've apparently neglected to spend any time with your lovely girlfriend today, and she's getting a bit worried, that's all," Rose said. "I told her I'd talk to you about it so that she'll calm down, but seriously, Lorcan? What could have possessed you to not say anything to her on your two-year anniversary?"

Lorcan rolled his eyes. "I'm only avoiding her because I've been busy planning a surprise for her, that's all. I haven't forgotten about it, I'm just working on something and I needed to keep her from finding out about it. You know that look she gets when she wants to know something. I don't know if I could resist telling her, so I'm trying to stay away until it's actually time to show it to her."

"Well, I suppose that's a fair excuse," Rose said. "Still, you might want to at least say hello to her or something. She's really concerned about it."

Lorcan ruffled his hair and smiled. "I'll go catch her after I talk to Zander about something, but if you see her first, tell her I said that everything's fine and I'll see her in the Gryffindor common room tonight after supper."

"Got it," Rose said. "She's lucky to have you, Lorcan."

He shrugged. "I'm just doing what I need to in order to make her happy."

"And she's lucky that you care so much," Rose said. "I need to go to the library. I'll see you later."

"Yeah," he said.

She smiled at him and made her way down to the library. Somebody caught her arm just outside of it, and she turned to see Guy standing there smiling at her.

"Hey," she said, standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss. "What are you doing down here?"

"I was thinking we could go for a walk, if you aren't too busy for that," Guy said.

"Lucky for you, I'm good about getting my work done ahead of time," Rose said. "If I were Helena or Serena, I'd still have half a Herbology essay to finish."

"Is that a yes?" Guy asked.

Rose grinned. "Yes, that's a yes."

He smiled. "Good."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they made their way up to the entrance hall. When they went outside, the air hit her like a wall. It turned her cheeks and nose pink, and she scrunched her face up. "I hate when it's cold like this. It's not even good weather to curl up in front of the fire under a blanket with hot chocolate and a book. It's a little too warm for that, but it's too disgustingly frozen to do anything outside other than walk around. I don't know how Al and Lily manage to play Quidditch in this."

Guy shrugged. "We do what we have to do for the sake of trying to wrench the Cup out from under every other house."

Rose laughed. "Well, much as I may be warming up to Ravenclaws, I still hope that we win the Cup. It would be nice to finish off my time here with one more to join the six that we've had since we started at Hogwarts."

"Why don't you play?" Guy asked. "I mean, so much of your family does."

"I do play," Rose said. "At home. You can't be a Weasley or a Potter or any of our childhood friends and grow up without taking part in the tri-annual Quidditch tournaments at least once."

"So why not play at school then?" Guy asked. "And you have tri-annual tournaments?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, we do. We play three on three, two Chasers and a Keeper, and we keep going until one team has more wins than any other after playing everyone. Last year's reigning champs are myself, Al, and... Yeah. I play Keeper, usually, but I'm not awful at Chaser either." She shrugged. "As for why I don't play at school, well, I like Quidditch, and it's fun to mess around and play on the pitch at Al's house, but I don't _love_ it like he and Lily do. They're really dedicated to it. I enjoy it, but it's not the most important thing in the world to me. I'm more concerned about fulfilling my Head duties and doing well in my classes. Pursuing the Healer track requires my full attention, and I have other ways of relaxing after I finish with my assignments that don't require the time commitment that Quidditch does."

"I suppose that makes sense," Guy said. "You're really missing out, though. Are you going to come to any matches this year?"

"We'll see," Rose said. "I don't exactly make a habit of it, since I'm usually working on assignments or something like that, but Al's been working on wearing me down and I'll probably come to a few."

"I dunno, maybe you shouldn't come to the Ravenclaw-Gryffindor matches," Guy said. "I don't know if I want to be out there flying and knowing all the while that you're rooting for the other team."

"House loyalty," Rose said, grinning. "The non-harmful sort, of course, but it's very important that I support my house during the matches."

"What am I going to do with my girlfriend rooting for my rivals?" Guy asked.

Rose's eyes widened. "Girlfriend?"

Guy moved to stand in front of her, a sheepish smile on his face. "That was why I wanted to go on this walk, actually." He ruffled his hair. "We've been spending a lot of time together, and I really like you a lot, so I was wondering if you would be my girlfriend? Officially?"

Rose tapped her finger on her chin. "Huh, I don't know." When Guy's face fell, she laughed. "You idiot, of course I'll be your girlfriend."

He blinked at her for a moment, and then a grin formed on his face. She smiled at him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so that their bodies were pressed together. Her arms wound around his neck and she stood on her toes as he bent his head to kiss her, and it was a long moment before they broke apart. When they did, she remained on her toes so that she could brush her nose against his.

"I'm just warning you, Al and Lily are going to give you a very stern talking-to when they find out about this," she said.

He laughed. "I'm sure I can deal with it. I've never really had an issue with either of them, so they don't have any reason to kill me."

"You should also be warned that Serena will probably end up leading Helena and Alice on a bit of a stalking mission that she will refer to as reconnaissance for the first month or so of our relationship, just to make sure that everything's going well," Rose said. "I'll do my best to stop her, but when Serena wants to do something, there's not much to be done about it."

"I'll live," Guy said. "I just got the most terrifying thing out of the way. If I can handle asking you to be my girlfriend, I can handle your family and friends being protective of you. I can understand why they want to be. You certainly don't need anybody to defend you, but you're fantastic enough that it's only natural that they care that much."

Rose flushed. "You think I'm fantastic?"

He smiled at her and ducked his head to kiss her again. When he finished, he spoke, punctuating each word with a brief kiss. "You, Rose Weasley, are the—most—fantastic—girl that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"I don't know what to say," Rose said.

He kissed her once more. "Then don't say anything. We can just walk and enjoy ourselves until it's time for dinner. There's no reason to rush back up to the castle or anything, unless you're too cold to stay out here much longer."

She shook her head. "I'm suddenly very, _very_ warm."

He grinned and placed his arm around her shoulders again. "I'm glad to hear that."

They walked down around the lake for a while, only stopping to watch the Giant Squid (okay, not just for that. There may have been a number of kisses involved as well), and when it was time for dinner, they made their way back up to the castle. In the entrance hall, Guy pulled her into an alcove and kissed her again, his hand moving to rest against the nape of her neck.

She smiled at him when they broke apart. "I could get used to that."

He winked. "Good, because you really ought to. It's going to be happening a lot. Shall we head in to dinner?"

"We shall," she said.

They made their way into the Great Hall, and he kissed her cheek quickly and smiled at her before going off towards where his friends sat at the Ravenclaw table. Rose smiled to herself and walked to where Serena, Alice, and Helena already sat.

No sooner had she sat down than Serena looked at her expectantly. "So, what happened? You two looked pretty cozy, and you were gone all afternoon."

Rose reached for the stew and shrugged. "We went for a walk around the lake, he asked me to be his girlfriend, I said yes. Nothing too crazy."

"Nothing too crazy?" Serena asked. "Rose, you've got a boyfriend now. This is huge. What happened to not having anything to do with boys until the insanity of N.E.W.T.s was over?"

"I don't think I need to worry about Guy distracting me from my studying," Rose said. "If anything, we'll end up studying together. It's hardly going to be an issue. If it were someone else, I might not consider it, but I don't see him harming my academic success."

"And there's the justification," Alice said. She smiled at Rose. "I think it's sweet. You can come on double dates with me and Declan on Hogsmeade weekends."

Rose made a face. "No offense, Ali, but while we may be dating, I don't know if we're really going to be interested in stuff like that. We both really enjoy walking around and just talking to each other, at least for now."

Alice shrugged. "I can respect that. Your relationship is new and it'll be a while before you want to share with anybody."

"Whose relationship is new?"

Rose pressed the thumb and middle finger of her left hand against her temples. "Merlin, I'm never going to hear the end of it now." She looked at Al and attempted to keep an even expression as she said, "Guy asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes."

Al sat down beside her, Scorpius taking the seat across from him by Alice. Trent and Beck took the seats next to them, and Lorcan and Lysander took the empty seats beside Serena and Helena. Al raised his eyebrows. "The Ravenclaw asked you to be his girlfriend? Well, tell him that if he hurts you, I'll be beating his ass in more than just Quidditch."

Rose nodded. "I suppose that's reasonable. I must admit, I was expecting you and Lily to go on the warpath about the whole thing, so this is a pleasant surprise."

Al smiled. "I've matured, Rosie. I don't do things like that anymore." Maddie laughed. Al looked over at where she sat beside Lysander. "What are you laughing at?"

"I love you, Al, but mature is not a word that should be associated with you," Maddie said. "You're lovely, but your capacity for acting like an adult can leave something to be desired at times."

Al's eyes widened. "I'm plenty mature."

"You're definitely not the worst, but you're certainly not the best either," Lily said. She had taken the seat beside Lorcan as Maddie spoke. "I love you, brother dear, but you aren't the most mature and responsible of the lot of us. That would be Rose. You're definitely not as bad as James is, though."

"Is anyone as bad as James is?" Alice asked.

Al, Rose, and Lily exchanged a glance, and then chorused, "No. No they aren't."

"James is a class all on his own," Rose said.

"I do think Dad kind of expected it though, given his own father's reputation at school," Al said. "James is getting a bit better though. He's got Sarah around all the time now and she's so level-headed that it helps to balance him out."

"Your family really seems to have a thing for a long buildup to relationships," Serena said. "First Teddy and Victoire, then Molly and Sam, then James and Sarah, then Tara and Fred. Is there anyone who breaks that?"

"Well, Dom and Seb didn't know each other that long before they started dating," Rose said. "Obviously Lorcan and Lil have known each other forever, and Louis and Quinn were friends from first year, and Al's known Maddie since second year. Lucy's known Josh for a while, but Roxy is still unattached as of right now, as is Hugo as far as I know, and I was only friends with Guy starting at the beginning of this year, so it's not completely right."

"Still, that's a pretty consistent list right there," Serena said. "I'm a bit surprised that you haven't continued the trend, Rose."

"Who am I going to date?" Rose asked. "I see Zander as more of a brother than anything else, same with Trent and Beck, Lorcan is completely enamored with Lily, and considering the circumstances, I'm not about to suggest... Well, you get my point."

Serena shook her head. "You're ruining all my fun." She looked at Scorpius. "So, Scorpius, got your eye on anyone?"

He looked at Serena, his expression blank. "No, I can't say I do."

"Shame," Serena said. "I'm sure we could set you up with someone really nice. Couldn't we, Rose?"

Rose looked at Alice. "So, Ali, have you spoken with Declan since Hogsmeade?"

Alice sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, I have."

Rose could feel Serena staring at her, but rather than respond, she took a bite from her stew and listened to Alice's explanation of Declan's latest letter.

She was one of the first people to leave at the end of the meal, and as she was walking along the sixth-floor corridor, someone pushed her into an empty classroom. The door swung shut, and she heard the person on the other side murmur "Colloportus!"

Rose slammed her hand against the door. "What the bloody hell are you playing at?"

She heard Serena's voice a moment later. "You'll thank me later, Rose. I promise."

Rose began to mutter to herself about insane best mates as she paced back and forth in front of the empty teacher's desk that sat at the head of the room. A few minutes later, the door opened again. She whirled to face it, only to stop her pacing when she saw who had been thrust inside.

"What the hell, Rena?" Rose called.

Serena's muffled voice came through the door. "You two aren't getting out of here until you work out your issues, so I suggest you start. None of us like seeing the two of you arguing with each other, much less not speaking to one another, so do us all a favor and make up. And Rose, there's no point in trying _Alohomora_. I've charmed the door so that it won't work. I'll be back in two hours to let you out so that you can get back to your dormitory before curfew, but if you haven't made up by then, you can bet that I'm going to make you stay in here until breakfast tomorrow."

Rose heard footsteps as Serena walked away, and when the sound faded, everything was silent. She crossed her arms, her gaze locked with Scorpius's, and the only movement he made was to lean against the wall. Neither of them broke their stare.

Eventually Scorpius sighed. "You heard her, she's not going to let us out of here until we make up, so..."

Rose shook her head. "No way in hell."

"At least you said something to me," Scorpius said. "You've acknowledged my existence. That's more than we've accomplished since Saturday."

"The only reason why I'm saying anything to you is because my traitor of a best mate locked me in here with you and talking to you is probably a better choice than hexing you in the bloody face," Rose said.

"What you're doing is ridiculous," Scorpius said.

Rose twirled her wand in her fingers as she laughed dryly. "No, Malfoy, I'm not doing anything ridiculous. I'm doing what any sane human being would do after someone who was supposed to be their mate not only went on a date with a girl who tried incredibly hard to ruin their life, but also brought said girl over to interrupt a date, and all of this after being nothing but cold for the few weeks previous. What am I supposed to do? You've pulled some nasty things on me before, but this isn't a prank. This isn't something I can just laugh off and move on from. You're doing everything in your power to make me mad, and guess what? It's working. I don't know what I ever did to you to make you do all of this, but there's nothing that could warrant you acting like such a massive git. I don't care what your reasoning is. It's flawed, it's messed up, and I don't want anything to do with you if this is how you treat people who are supposed to be your mates. Merlin, I don't know how Al puts up with you."

Scorpius sat down on the edge of the teacher’s desk and ran his hand through his hair. “You wouldn’t believe me if I said I didn’t know about the second half of it, would you?”

"Why would I?" Rose asked. “You went on a date with someone who did everything in their power to hurt me, you knew what they did to me because you were the one who was there right after it happened, and you still went out with them. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" Her voice dropped, and when she spoke, all the fight had left her. "You broke my trust. I thought you were better than that, but you weren't, and now I'm kicking myself for ever trusting that you wouldn't hurt me on purpose. After this, though? I don't see how you could do something like that without doing it intentionally."

He gaped at her. "Rose, I..."

She shook her head. "It's too late for apologies. I'd just like to get through the rest of Hogwarts without having to see you or interact with you any more than necessary, and then we can go our separate ways and I'll never speak to you again. It'll save the both of us a lot of pain, so please just let me do this." When he didn't say anything, she crossed to the door. "This isn't going to be pretty, but it'll get the job done. Portaberto!"

The lock separated itself from the door, hitting the ground with a loud crash. Rose pulled the door open and then waved her wand once more. "Reparo!"

The lock mechanism reattached itself to the door, and Rose left without a look back. She continued down the corridor to the Heads' dormitory and let herself inside. Without pause, she crossed the common room to her bedroom door.

She didn't hear Scorpius come back that night.


	9. Chapter Eight

One afternoon at the end of October, Rose found herself sitting on a couch in the Gryffindor common room with all of her Charms notes spread out in front of her. Serena sat on the couch to her right, Alice was curled up in the armchair adjacent to them, and Helena was lying on the floor with her own textbook and parchment in front of her.

Serena shut her textbook and groaned. "Flitwick is officially completely mad."

"This is absurd," Alice said. "Thirty inches, and he only gives us three days' notice? I mean, I know that N.E.W.T. year is supposed to be hard and all, but this is going beyond difficult. It's pure insanity."

"I think I might need to go to the Hospital Wing for a headache potion soon," Helena said, massaging her temples. "I can't handle for much longer or my head might explode."

Rose made a face. "We just need to focus for a while and we can get through this. If we can just get the first ten inches down before dinner, then it shouldn't be too difficult to do ten more tomorrow and the day after."

"Ten inches a day is ridiculous," Serena said. "I mean, I know it's necessary, but this is absolutely insane."

"We'll manage," Rose said. "We've gotten through ridiculous assignments before. It's just going to take a considerable amount of perseverance on our part. I've got it worse than the lot of you, anyway."

"How so?" Alice asked.

"I've got patrol tomorrow night, so I'm not going to have much time after dinner to work on it," Rose said. "You lot are going to have all the time between dinner and bed to get something done on it. I'm going to have to get ten inches done between three and seven o'clock, and then I have to deal with two hours of patrol with the world's greatest prat. It could be so much worse."

"Fair point," Serena said. "I'm still sorry about that, by the way."

Rose shrugged. "You had no way of knowing what happened. I didn't exactly tell you why we weren't speaking to each other, and if I had, I know you wouldn't have done that. It's as much my fault as it is yours."

"Well, at least I'm not getting all of the blame for that one," Serena said.

"As Rose said, if she'd told us, you wouldn't have done it," Alice said. "The blame is equally shared here. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. It's been over a week. I just want to get this blasted essay done."

"Agreed," Helena said. "I love Charms, but this might actually kill me."

Rose nodded. "You and me both, Hel. You and me both."

She continued to flip through her notes and her textbook. By the time dinner rolled around, she had written just over eleven inches on her roll of parchment. She put all of her things into her bag and stood up. "I'm going to go drop this off in my room, I'll see you lot down at dinner."

"Sounds good," Serena said. "If you're not down there in twenty minutes, we'll send a retrieval squad."

Rose laughed. "The scary thing is, I'm pretty sure that you actually would."

She shouldered her bag and left the common room. The corridors were relatively empty, with nearly everyone down at dinner already, and she hummed to herself as she made her way up to the Heads' dormitory. Scorpius had been all but completely absent from their living quarters since that night in the empty classroom, and that was something Rose was unbelievably grateful for. She murmured the password when she reached the tapestry, and it melted into the door.

She stopped when she entered the common room. Scorpius and a Slytherin girl were all but intertwined on the couch, and neither noticed Rose’s presence. She put two fingers in her mouth and blew an ear-piercing whistle. The girl turned to look at Rose, an expression of complete distaste on her face.

Rose crossed her arms. "Khan, get the hell out of here and go to dinner before I dock fifty points from you for contaminating my living space. I need to have a word with the Head Boy."

"I thought you said she wouldn't be back here until after dinner, Scorpius," said the Slytherin. She was a seventh-year, with black hair and coppery skin. Her brown eyes were narrowed as she eyed Rose.

"I thought that you'd have more sense than to think it would be a good idea to have a rendezvous with the Head Boy in the Heads' common room, but apparently we were both wrong," Rose said. "I'm not kidding, Khan. Get the hell out of here before I call McGonagall on you.”

“You live to ruin everyone’s fun, don’t you?” the girl asked.

“She’s right, Benita,” Scorpius said, glancing at Rose.

“I didn’t think you’d be such a spoilsport, Scorpius,” Benita said. “Whatever.”

She left the common room, straightening her clothes as she went. Rose looked at Scorpius and raised her eyebrows. "Really? After all of the shit you've pulled, you think it's a good idea to break our agreement too?"

"I didn't think you'd be back here until after dinner," he said. "You weren't supposed to know."

"As though that makes it any better," Rose said. "Do you have absolutely no inclination to get me to forgive you? Is this all just some sort of game?"

He ran his hand through his hair and leaned forward so that he could rest his elbows on his knees. "You were pretending I didn't exist, so I just figured that it wouldn't really matter what I did since my presence clearly means nothing to you."

"It doesn't mean—it didn't mean nothing to me!" Rose said. "We were friends, Malfoy. You were the guy I was closest to aside from my family members. I wanted to believe that you wouldn't do anything to me, that my dad was wrong, but apparently he wasn't. I should've listened to him. I should have stayed away from you, even after Al became friends with you and Uncle Harry convinced Dad that you weren't completely horrible." Her voice fell to a whisper. "I just want all of this to stop and I want us to go back to how we were before Hogsmeade, but it can't, and we can't. It's too late for that, and you've just proven that you don't really care about what I ask of you."

"I just don't know how to fix this, Rose," he said, his head in his hands. His voice was muffled. "I messed up really badly and I know that and I'd explain it to you if I could, but I know you won’t believe me, and now I just don't know how to get things back to normal. I don't like it when we fight, especially not like this, but I don't know what to do about it."

"There's nothing you can do about it," Rose said. "It's just... We're too far gone for that now. We'll get through the year, and then that'll be that. I'm going to dinner."

She deposited her bag by the door and exited the common room. As soon as she was out of sight, she slumped against the wall and slid down it until she hit the floor. She stared at the wall across from her for a while, shook her head, and stood up.

When she went into the Great Hall, everything was normal. Al sat with Maddie, Lily with Lorcan, and Serena was talking animatedly to Helena, her hands waving about as she described whatever her latest idea was. Rose sat down beside Alice and reached for the steak.

Alice fixed her with an even stare. "There's something up with you."

Rose shrugged. "It's nothing, really." When Alice raised her eyebrows, Rose groaned. "I'm serious, Ali. You don't need to worry about it. I'll sort it out on my own." She put a piece of steak on her plate and muttered, "Merlin, this is never going to end, is it?"

Alice shook her head. Her voice was quiet when she spoke, carefully pitched so that Serena wouldn't be able to hear it on the other side of the table. "No, it's not. Not until you figure out how you really feel about the whole situation."

"I don't know how to feel, Ali," Rose said. "If I did, this whole thing would be so much easier, but I don't, and that's the end of it. We were close for a while, and I really did value his friendship, but then he went and did... that, and I just don't know if I can find it in me to forgive him for that. Part of me wants to, but part of me says damn him to hell and move on with my life."

"You need to decide which part is stronger," Alice said. "Until you do, this isn't going to get any better. Like you said, you two were close. You've got a way with each other that the rest of us don't match, and I don't really know why. Maybe it's because you can play off of each other so easily, maybe it's because you want to prove your families wrong, but you and Scorpius Malfoy were meant to be close to each other. That's all I know."

Rose sighed. "I just... I'll figure it out eventually, but for now I just want to get through this. Once I decide what to do about it, I'll sort the whole thing out, but for now..."

"I understand," Alice said. "It's the right decision. You shouldn't rush into anything when it comes to this. The two of you have too much of a history for that."

"Merlin, I'm glad I have you to talk to, Ali," Rose said. "I love Rena and she's my best mate and all, but you're just so..."

"Sane?" Alice offered. "Yeah, I know."

Rose smiled slightly, though it felt strained. "I'm sure you do."

After dinner, she wandered through the corridors of the castle, her hands tucked in the pockets of her robe. Her footsteps echoed off the stone floor, and the light flickered across the walls and the suits of armor. She paused when she reached the statue of the One-Eyed Witch, only to shake her head a moment later and continue on her walk. Just like every member of the Weasley-Potter clan and their friends, she knew the password that would open the witch's hump and allow her access to the passageway to Hogsmeade, but she just couldn't bring herself to go through it, much to James and Al's chagrin. As far as they were concerned, it was a rite of passage to go visit Hogsmeade without permission, but as a prefect and then Head Girl, it made her feel more uncomfortable than anything else.

The common room was empty when she went inside, and she immediately picked up her bag, went into her room, and closed the door. Everything was as she'd left it that morning, and she glanced around before gathering her pajamas and going into the bathroom. Normally she would only shower for the sake of saving herself some time, but after her evening, she went over to the sunken bath and turned on the taps, adjusting the temperature until it was nearly scalding hot against the back of her hand.

As she waited for the bath to fill, she removed the braid from her hair and ran a brush through the waves, pausing to pick the knots out with her fingers. Once she was done with that, she put her hair into a bun on the top of her head and removed her clothes, allowing her uniform to fall to the floor. She turned off the taps and climbed into the steaming bathwater, sighing appreciatively at the feeling of the heat on her skin.

Her eyes closed, she sat in the bath until the water began to grow cold. When it did, she washed herself hurriedly and then got out. It only took her a few moments to drain the bath and wash her hair, and once she had, she wrapped a towel around her hair and pulled her pajamas on. After a quick drying charm on her hair, she went back into her bedroom.

All was quiet in the common room. She heard no noises that were a sure sign of Scorpius's presence, nor did she hear him in his room. With a sigh, she got into bed and plucked a book from the stack on her nightstand. Her eyelids began to grow heavy as she read, and she drifted off to sleep beneath the heavy comforter.

* * *

 

Three days later, she awoke to feel as though her whole body was burning. She coughed, the motion hurting her lungs, and reached up to feel her forehead. It felt no hotter than normal, but she supposed that was because the rest of her was so warm. She threw the blankets off and attempted to get out of bed, only to fall to the floor.

The door opened a moment later. Scorpius stood there, one hand on the doorknob. "Rose, are you—"

"Need help," she croaked, her throat sore.

He rushed over to her and placed one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back. After depositing her on the bed, he pressed his hand to her forehead. "Merlin, Rose, you're burning up. Stay here, I'll go to Madam Pomfrey and get you some medi—"

Rose shook her head. "Won't help." She coughed again, pressing her hand against her chest.

"What do you mean, it won't help?" Scorpius asked. "You're clearly really sick. You need to take something."

She reached for the parchment and pen that she always kept on her nightstand (Much as she liked writing with quills, pens were so much more practical when she had an idea in the middle of the night). After a few moments of scrabbling around, Scorpius picked them up and passed them to her. She balanced them on her leg so that she could write.

_Hugo had this a couple years ago and there wasn't anything Madam Pomfrey could do for him except make him comfortable. I don't know what it is about whatever this is, but wizards haven't found a cure for it yet. I'm better off staying here. Make my excuses to our professors, if you wouldn't mind. It should only last a few days, a week at most._

Scorpius stared at her for a moment and then shook his head. "I'm not about to leave you by yourself when you're this sick."

_I'm just going to sleep. I'm tired._

He sighed. "Fine, but I'm coming back to check on you at lunch."

_Okay._

He watched her for a moment, sighed again, and leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry, Rose. I know it probably doesn’t mean anything, but I am."

With that, he got up and left, pulling the door shut quietly behind him. She stared at the spot where he'd sat for a while, and it was the last thing she remembered seeing before she fell asleep.

She woke up to someone gently shaking her shoulder. After a few slow blinks, Scorpius came into focus sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Good, you're awake," he said. "I was beginning to think I'd need to take you to Madam Pomfrey after all. I got you some soup from the kitchens. You've been asleep all day, and you need to eat something. Can you manage to feed yourself?"

She reached for the parchment and pen that were still lying on the bed.

_I can write, can't I?_

He chuckled quietly. "I suppose you're right." He helped her to sit up and gave her a bowl and spoon. "I'm going to run you a bath while you eat. I'm sure you'll feel a bit better after you've got something in your stomach and had the chance to clean up a bit."

She touched his arm as he moved to get up. He looked at her, and she scribbled something else on the parchment and showed it to him.

_Thank you._

He smiled slightly. "I figure I need to make everything up to you, but... I'd be doing this anyway, even if I hadn't messed up horribly. Life isn't the same without you yelling at me." He laid his hand over hers for a moment. "Eat. I'll help you to the bathroom once the bath is ready."

She nodded. He stood up and went into the bathroom as she began to spoon soup into her mouth. Just as she finished the last spoonful, he came back.

"My timing is perfect, apparently," he said. "Where are your pajamas?"

She pointed to the appropriate drawer of the dresser, and he got a clean set for her. He took them into the bathroom and then came back for her. She gestured for him to put his arm around her waist to help her stand, but instead, he once again placed one arm under her knees and the other behind her back and lifted her up.

He chuckled when she glared at him. "I'm not trying to make you feel like an invalid, Red, but I'd rather not have you fall over on me again." She crossed her arms and pouted as he set her down beside the bath. "Oh, don't give me that look. I'm just trying to help. If you need anything, just... I dunno, chuck something at the door and I'll come help you, all right?"

She nodded again. He left the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind him.

She managed to pull her pajamas off and climb into the bath, and after a long soak, she pulled herself out. Scorpius had left a stack of towels beside the bath, and she wrapped one around her hair before drying her body. After she pulled on her pajamas, she threw one of the used towels at the door.

Scorpius came in a moment later, and he smiled when he saw her. "I forgot that your ability to do a drying charm would be a bit limited. Should I fix that for you?"

She made a face at him and then nodded. He pointed his wand at her hair and murmured the spell. Her hair was perfectly dry a moment later, and he pocketed his wand before picking her up and carrying her back to her bed. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, and when he moved to leave her, she caught his arm.

He looked at her for a moment and sighed. "I'll stay until you fall asleep, all right?"

She pressed her face against his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.

She fell asleep within the circle of his embrace, her head on his chest, and when she woke up in the morning, he was still there.

The same routine continued for a few days, with Scorpius bringing her the notes from their classes at the end of the school day, and that Sunday, she finally got her voice back. It was only a whisper, but it was there, and it didn't hurt for her to speak.

Scorpius was asleep on the bed next to her, though he was on top of the blankets while she was beneath them. She poked his side. "Scorpius." When he didn't respond, she poked him again.

He blinked slowly and sat up. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"Other than the fact that you're the single most confusing prat to ever walk this planet?" she asked.

His eyes lit up. "Rose, you're talking!"

She rolled her eyes. "I noticed. Did you miss every word I just said?"

He shook his head. "I'm the single most confusing prat to ever walk this planet, I caught that."

"Good," she said. "You've been making it really difficult for me to keep being mad at you for the last few days."

"Does this mean you forgive me?" he asked.

She coughed. "I don't know."

He sighed. "Rose, I fucked up, but I genuinely didn’t know. Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?” Rose asked.

“You wouldn’t even talk to me when I found you that night,” Scorpius said. “All I got out of you was that Flint had something to do with it.” Rose tensed, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes as she recalled the night in question, and Scorpius reached for her hand. “You were crying and you wouldn’t say anything and I didn’t want to push it so I just let it go and figured you’d tell me when you were ready. I didn’t get the full story until you yelled at me. Lily told me Warrington was involved too, but I didn’t know how. If I’d known, I never would’ve… I just want you to know that I'm sorrier about it than I could ever even begin to explain, and while I understand if you don't forgive me, I hope that you will. I swear I won't do anything like this ever again. I shouldn't have even done it this time."

“Well, at least you know it was stupid,” Rose said, her voice hoarse. “Although I have to say that I’m kind of surprised you didn’t punch him.”

Scorpius’s eyes flashed. “Who says I didn’t?” She stared at him, and one corner of his mouth quirked up. “Al and I both had a bit of a go at him the next day. We probably would’ve gotten detention if Lily hadn’t shown up. She hexed him so badly that I think it scared him off of saying anything.” Rose smiled slightly at that, and Scorpius sobered. “Am I forgiven?”

She coughed again. "I think I have to forgive you, what with the whole punching Warrington thing, but you're walking on thin ice right now, understand?"

"Of course I understand," he said. "I'm not about to let you stop making my life miserable any time soon. What would I do without you around to yell at me?"

"Be incredibly sad?" she said. "I swear to Merlin though, Scorp, if you ever bring any more girls back here, I will not hesitate to separate your head from your shoulders, got it?"

"Got it," he said. "Of course."

She yawned. "Merlin, being sick really takes it out of me." She glanced at him. "I don't suppose you could do me a favor?"

"That depends on what the favor is," he said.

"I know you aren't exactly his biggest fan, but if you could tell Guy that he can come see me now, or at least ask Rena to tell him, I'd really appreciate it," Rose said. "For that matter, you can tell the whole lot of them that they can come and see me now, or I won't ever hear the end of it from Rena once I'm back to class tomorrow."

"Are you sure you're feeling up to that?" he asked.

She fixed him with an even stare. "Fairly sure, yeah, and if I'm not feeling well, I promise you I'll come back here and go straight to bed, all right? Now, are you going to do what I asked or not?"

He groaned. "I suppose."

"It'll put you one step closer to having my full forgiveness," she said.

"I suppose I'll just have to do it then, won't I?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

He stood up. "I really shouldn't have done anything to put myself in this position... So stupid."

"I'm glad you're wising up," Rose said. "Now go and tell them, please."

He sighed. "Fine..."

Once he left, Rose got out of bed and changed into a clean jumper and a pair of sweatpants. Normal clothes seemed like a bit of a stretch, but it didn’t feel appropriate for her to be wearing pajamas when everyone else arrived. She climbed back under the blankets once she was done and began to read while she waited.

It took no more than twenty minutes for a number of very familiar faces to pile into her bedroom.

Guy crossed to sit beside her. He moved to kiss her, and she put her hand over his mouth.

"That is _not_ a good idea right now," she said. "I'm still not feeling well."

He made a face. "Fine."

"She's alive," Al said, throwing his hands in the air.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm alive, and you're just as ridiculous as ever."

"It wouldn't be any fun if he'd changed too much," Lily said. "How are you?"

Rose shrugged. "Better than I was, but definitely not one hundred percent yet. I can finally talk now, which is nice."

"Not at any volume, though," Serena said.

"I know, it's rather unfortunate," Rose said. "But I'll take what I can get after three days of being unable to talk at all."

"I suppose that's reasonable," Serena said.

"I'm glad you think so," Rose said.

"Do you have the notes that you missed?" Alice said. "I can copy mine for you."

Rose shook her head. "Scorp brought me a copy after classes every day."

Serena raised her eyebrows. "Oh, he did, did he?"

"Don't start this now, please," Rose said.

"Don't start what?"

That was Scorpius, who was standing in the doorway. He moved to sit on the bed on Rose's other side, passing her a plate of food in the process. "I went down to the kitchens and got you some breakfast."

She touched his hand momentarily and smiled at him. "Thank you."

Guy glanced between them for a moment. "So, when are you going to be back in class? Charms just isn't the same anymore."

"I'm hoping to be back tomorrow," Rose said. "I'm going to try to make it through a full day, but I'm under strict instructions from a certain someone to return to my bed if I start feeling worse."

"Rose!"

She looked at the door. Hugo stood there, breathing heavily.

"Hey, Hugo," she said, smiling. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"You've been sick for like, a week," he said. "While I may not associate with you that much while we're at school, it is my brotherly duty to check on you and write to tell Mum and Dad that you're alive."

"I'm sure they're going to appreciate knowing that I'm fine," Rose said. "Merlin only knows how I got so sick."

"What'd you have?" Lily asked.

"That weird bug that Hugo had the summer before your fourth year," Rose said. "Remember?"

Lily made a face. "And now I understand why you've been missing for so long. That was nasty."

"Yeah, I couldn't play Quidditch for like, three weeks," Hugo said. "I missed the tournament."

"You don't even play for school," Rose said. "It wasn't that much of a blow to you."

"Yeah, I know, but you know the tournament is tradition," Hugo said.

"Fair enough," Rose said. "Missing it is tantamount to missing your own wedding or something like that."

"I mean, I know you said the lot of you had a tri-annual tournament, but I didn't think you meant it was that huge a deal," Guy said.

"Oh, it is," Lily said. "We all play. Well, except for Uncle Percy, but we've all sort of accepted that one."

"The adults all play against each other," Al said. "It wouldn't be fair to put them up against us, though we'll probably have to start mixing in a few years once we're all out of school."

"Even my mum plays, and she was terrified of flying for a really, really long time," Rose said. "She still doesn't love it, but she can get through a game or two now."

"She only really learned because Dad begged her to," Hugo said.

Rose coughed a moment later. "Much as I love having you all here, I'd like to eat, so... Rena, Ali, Hel, you can stay if you want."

Guy kissed her hair. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded. Hugo and Lily both hugged her, and Al gave her a high-five.

Once they were gone, Scorpius stood up from his seat on the edge of her bed. "If you need anything, just let me know, all right?"

"Yeah." She smiled. "Thanks, Scorp."

He smiled back. "You got it."

As soon as the door shut, Serena sat down on Rose's bed. "Okay, something clearly happened and you need to tell us what it is. You're speaking to each other again?"

Rose shrugged. "He made a comment to me last week after doing something incredibly stupid that made me realize that he might have really not realized what the consequences of his actions would be, and neither of us are really comfortable if we're not driving each other mad equally, so I forgave him."

"Just like that?" Serena asked.

"Bloody hell, Rena, of course not," Alice said. "You saw how he was hovering around her. I mean, he went and got her breakfast, for Merlin's sake."

"He heard me fall a few days ago when the fever hit and I tried to get out of bed," Rose said. "He's sort of been taking care of me ever since."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Sort of?"

"Okay, he's been taking care of me ever since," Rose said. "I think it's just because he feels bad, but he says he'd still do it even if he wasn't trying to help things get back to normal, so I don't really know. Either way, it's been nice to have someone doing everything for me."

"Well, at least he knows how to not be a complete prat," Serena said. "Hel, what do you think?"

"I think it's a decent way to make up for what he did," Helena said. "What he did was obviously not okay by any stretch of the imagination, but at least he's trying to make up for it."

"Maybe life will go back to normal now," Serena said. "You and Scorpius driving each other mad all the time, the lot of us laughing at your absurdity..."

Rose chuckled quietly. "No promises, Rena. No promises."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to be a jerk and give you guys a double update with the cliffhanger but then I figured that that would be unnecessarily cruel, especially since I haven't posted in so long, so you're getting a triple update instead.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> (My only excuse for not updating is that I have a) been busy and b) am incredibly lazy.)


	10. Chapter Nine

"Come on, Rose, you have to!"

"No, I don't have to."

"Yes, you do!"

"What do you have on me that makes you say that I have to? Last I checked, there were only three people on this planet who have enough over on me to make me do things, and their last names are Weasley, Potter, and Potter."

"You promised that you would try to have fun this year, and having fun means going to a Quidditch match. Come on, Red. It won't hurt you to take a few hours out of your incredibly busy schedule to come support your cousins and your house."

Rose looked up from her book so that Scorpius could see her raise her eyebrows. "So I'm supporting my cousins and my house if I go, but not you?"

"Yes—no—I don't know," Scorpius said, running his hand through his hair. "Merlin, you aren't going to make this easy for me, are you?"

Rose looked back down at her book and turned the page. "I wasn't intending to, no."

"Please come, Red," Scorpius said. "Ravenclaw's going to be one of our hardest matches of the year. All of the times I've seen them play, they've looked quite good. We're going to have to fly excellently in order to beat them."

"I thought that you always fly excellently," Rose said, her gaze still locked on her book.

Scorpius dropped to his knees in front of her, and she glanced at him as he clasped his hands together. "Please, Rose."

She turned the page again. "You'll have to do better than that to convince me, you know."

He glanced at the clock and then stood up. "I have Quidditch practice now, but this isn't over. I have a week to convince you that you need to come to the match, and you can bet I'll do my damnedest to make you."

"I don't doubt it." She looked up from her book long enough to smile at him. "Go to practice, or your team is going to think that their captain is shirking his duties."

"As if they'd dare," he said. He tugged on the end of her braid and grinned at her. "See you later."

She rolled her eyes, but allowed herself to smile once he left. It had been approximately two weeks since they'd made up, and while the first few days had been awkward, they had grown increasingly more comfortable with each other as the days passed. If anything, Rose would venture to say that they were closer than they had been before their fallout. They had begun to study together for classes that they shared, and meetings to go over detention reports or other Head duties were filled with as many jokes as they were serious statements. The thing she felt most grateful for was that the dormitory felt more like home and less like a place that she only went to sleep, something she had missed terribly during the days when she and Scorpius weren't speaking to each other.

After reading for a while, she glanced at the clock. It read a quarter past three. She set her book down and stood up, stretching as she did. After going into her bedroom to run a brush through her hair and re-braid it, she went up to Gryffindor Tower, where she was meant to meet Serena so that they could spend some quality best friend time together before dinner.

The blonde was lounging in a chair when Rose entered the common room, and she stood up as Rose approached her. "I thought you were going to be late."

Rose laughed. "As if I would ever dream of being late to meet you, Rena."

Serena shrugged. "There's a first for everything."

"Not that," Rose said. "What do you want to do? I'd say let's go down to the lake, but it's too cold for that."

"I dunno," Serena said. "I was thinking about going down to watch Quidditch practice, but like you said, it's a bit cold to be sitting outside for any length of time."

"You wanted to watch Quidditch practice?" Rose asked. "Why?"

Serena reached to scratch her nose before responding. "Uh, no reason. I just thought I might."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, because that's really convincing." When Serena looked at her plaintively, Rose smiled. "I'm not going to press you for details, Rena, don't worry. I was just wondering."

"How'd you know I had a reason?" Serena asked.

"Well, you don't normally go down to watch Quidditch practice, for one, and also, I know what you do when you lie," Rose said. "You always scratch your nose first. Most people might think it's just itchy, but I'm your best mate. I know what that means."

"Damn you for knowing me too well," Serena said. "Well, what shall we do then?"

"We could go down the kitchens for some hot chocolate or something," Rose said. "I don't really want to eat a meal since it's going to be time for dinner soon, but it's hot chocolate weather."

Serena nodded. "It definitely is. That's a good idea. We can go get some and then figure out what we want to do from there."

"Sounds like a plan," Rose said.

They left the common room and started to make their way down to the kitchens. When they reached the first staircase, Serena spoke. "So, how have things been with Guy?"

Rose smiled. "Good. We've been seeing plenty of each other, but not too much. I don't want spending time together to get old, you know?"

Serena laughed. "You don't want spending time together to get old, and you've been spending most of your free time with Scorpius anyway, so it's not like you're not busy most of the time."

Rose stopped. "Wait, what do you mean, I've been spending most of my free time with Scorpius?"

Serena shrugged and continued to walk. "Nothing, it's just that you two have been spending loads of time together lately, that's all."

"Only because we're co-Heads and we didn't talk to each other for a while there." Rose started walking and quickened her pace so that she could catch up with Serena. "We're mates, that's all."

Serena grinned. "I know that. I was just making an observation. Back to Guy, though. Are you going to go to the match next weekend?"

"Maybe," Rose said. "I don't know. I wasn't going to, but Scorpius is trying very hard to convince me to come and 'support your cousins and your house,' as he put it."

"Do you think you'll actually go?" Serena asked.

"I mean, probably," Rose said. "It is our seventh year, and according to Al and Scorpius, it's going to be an exciting match, so I might as well. I just like making Scorp work for it."

"I'm sure you do," Serena said. "Will it be Gryffindor or Ravenclaw for you?"

Rose didn't pause. "Gryffindor. I'll feel bad for Guy when we crush Ravenclaw, but I'm rooting for our house. Anyway, I have more reasons to cheer for Gryffindor than I do for Ravenclaw. I've got two cousins on the team, not to mention that I know everyone except for Drew really well, and I've always liked her anyway. My boyfriend may play for Ravenclaw, but he wouldn't win against my cousins and a bunch of my mates in a battle for my loyalty."

"I'm glad to hear it," Serena said. "I'm sure Scorpius will be too."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing really," Serena said. "I just meant that he'll be glad to hear that you'll be attending the match and supporting Gryffindor, that's all."

"Okay then," Rose said. "You're going to the match, right?"

Serena nodded. "I don't have any reason not to. You know that Alice will be there, even though Declan isn't here to play anymore."

Rose laughed. "She loves the game so much that I'm a bit surprised that she never actually tried out for the team. Just watch, she'll end up taking over my Aunt Ginny's position at the Daily Prophet eventually. She knows way too much about Quidditch for someone who's never played a real match in her life."

"It makes her happy, so I say we let her keep up with it," Serena said.

"I agree," Rose said. "It just amuses me, that's all."

"Likewise," Serena said.

They continued to talk as they continued toward the kitchens, and once they got their hot chocolate, they agreed to take a walk through the castle. By the time they were finished, it was time for dinner, and when they made their way into the Great Hall, the rest of their friends were already seated.

Rose had barely sat down when Scorpius, who was seated across from her, leaned forward. "So, are you going to come?"

Rose rolled her eyes and reached for the potatoes. "I'm still thinking about it."

"What are you still thinking about?" Al asked. He looked at Scorpius. "What is she still thinking about?"

"He's trying to convince me to come to the match," Rose said as Scorpius said, "I'm trying to convince her to come to the match."

Al stared at them for a moment. "Okay, that was a bit frightening." After a moment, he grinned. "You really should come to the match though, Rosie, it's going to be a lot of fun. Who knows, you might even get to see us crush your boyfriend and his entire team into mincemeat."

"Much as I'd love to see it happen, I'm still thinking about it," Rose said. "You're welcome to continue to try to convince me, but I'm telling you now that you'll be better off if you just let me make up my own mind about it."

"Please come, Rose," Lily said. "I know I'd appreciate having you there, though I can't speak for the rest of this lot."

"It would be nice," Lorcan said. "Although, I'm not sure if I want to hear your analysis of the match afterward, or you're sure to make me feel terrible about myself."

"You've got plenty of talent when it comes to Quidditch, so shush," Rose said. "I'm being serious, you lot. Let me make up my own mind about it."

"You'd better leave her alone now," Alice said. "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her hexes."

Scorpius shuddered. "I already have been, and let me tell you, it's not any fun."

Rose laughed. "The ones I used on you were hardly that bad. Vic and Teddy did sanction them for that duel, after all. It's not my fault that you're not fast enough with a Shield Charm."

"Be that as it may, it still wasn't any fun," Scorpius said. "You're a bit too quick with a wand there, Red. It's a shame you're not intending to be an Auror."

"Not everyone in my family can be one," Rose said. "I'm perfectly content to stick with the Healer track. Besides, knowing you and Al, I'll have my hands full just patching up the two of you when you get back from your missions."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "Oh, so you're going to take care of me when I'm injured?"

"Take care of you, and then smack you for being dumb enough to put yourself in the way of a bad spell," Rose said. "You're not getting off that easily."

"Damn," Scorpius said. He grinned a moment later. "I'm glad to hear you care about me enough to smack me for endangering myself."

Rose threw her napkin at him. "Oh, shut up. I can just as easily hex you here as I could in Defense, you know."

Scorpius's grin widened. "Yeah, but you won't, because if you do it here, you'll get a detention, and Merlin knows our Head Girl can't have one of those."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

Rose made a face. "I hate it when you're right."

He laughed. "I know."

She grinned. "Good thing it doesn't happen a lot, huh?"

His mouth dropped. Al grabbed his chin and shut it a moment later. Scorpius continued to gape at Rose, and then shook his head. "Merlin, I forgot what it was like to have you abusing me all the time."

"Fantastic?" Rose asked. "You know you love it."

"I hate it when _you're_ right," he said.

Rose's smile widened. "Your life must suck then, since I'm right a lot."

"And she's as cocky as ever," he said. "Remind me why I put up with you again?"

"I'm the best person you know," Rose said. "Sorry, Al. No offense intended."

Al reached for the lamb chops. "None taken."

The banter continued as they ate, and at the end of the meal, Rose looked at Scorpius. She wiped her mouth with her napkin before speaking. "We need to go over the detention reports at some point soon."

He nodded. "We can do it tonight, if you want, but it'll have to wait a bit."

"Why?" Rose asked.

He sighed. "Apparently one of the sixth-years has been struggling with Transfiguration and was pointed to me, so I have to tutor her every Saturday night from eight until nine until she doesn't need it anymore."

Rose tilted her head. "Who is it?"

"Ariadne Melville," Scorpius said. "I've never talked to her in my life. All I know is that she's in Hufflepuff."

"She's nice," Lily said. "A bit quiet, but she's a really sweet girl."

"Good to know," Scorpius said.

Rose made a face. "Much as I'm loathe to wait to get the reports over with, shall we work on them at a quarter past nine?"

"That sounds fine," Scorpius said. "Common room instead of the meeting room?"

"Definitely," Rose said. "I'd like to sit on a couch this time."

"All right," Scorpius said. "I need to go meet her. I'll see you then."

"Yeah," Rose said. "Later, Scorp."

He grinned at her and left the Great Hall. Once he was out of sight, she turned to Lily.

“You lied to me.”

Lily’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You told me that you didn’t do anything to Warrington,” Rose said.

“I didn’t,” Lily said, though she looked down at her plate.

“That’s not what I was told,” Rose said.

Lily glanced in the direction of the doors to the Great Hall. “He didn’t.”

“Oh, he did,” Rose said. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.”

“You would’ve been mad,” Lily said.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Rose said, standing up. “But either way, thank you.” She glanced at everyone seated around her. “I’ll see you all later.”

As she made her way into the corridor outside, Guy caught up to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So, are you coming to the match?"

She groaned. "Not you too."

His brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Scorp has been begging me to come to the match for the last three days," Rose said. "I don't think he's going to give up until I say yes."

"I still don't understand how the two of you went from not speaking to each other to the best of friends," Guy said.

Rose shrugged. "We've always had a rather complicated relationship, seeing as our families were never exactly friends. Don't think about it too much. It gives me a headache, and I'm the one who had to deal with all of the mess that was the last month or so."

"If you say so," Guy said. "If you do come to the match, who are you going to support?"

Rose glanced at him. "Gryffindor. My apologies." When he made a face at her, she smiled slightly. "Two of my cousins are on the team, and so are a number of my close friends. I need to support them. Like I said, I want another Cup."

"Well, I'll be flying against Malfoy to catch the Snitch," he said. "I hope you'll find it in yourself to root for me at least a little."

"We'll see," Rose said. "I haven't even said that I'm going to the match yet."

"I hope that you do, and I hope you somehow decide that you want Ravenclaw to win," Guy said.

"No promises," Rose said.

After a few moments of silence, Guy spoke again. "What are you doing tonight?"

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking we could head down to the kitchens and get some food and then go sit on top of the Astronomy Tower and look at the stars for a while," he said.

She shook her head. "As lovely as that sounds, I've got to attend to some detention reports with Scorp, so I'm rather busy tonight." As they reached the fifth floor, she kissed his cheek. "We'll do something soon, all right?"

"If you say so," he said.

She smiled. "I do."

After kissing him quickly, she continued up the next flight of stairs to the sixth floor. When she entered the dormitory, it was empty, just as she'd expected. She went into her bathroom and took a long shower, and by the time Scorpius got back, she was sitting on the couch in her pajamas, the stack of detention reports sitting on the table.

"You look comfortable," he said, dropping onto the seat next to her.

She grinned. "That's probably because I am. How was tutoring?"

"It was fine," he said. "Lily's right, Ariadne is sweet. I'm not really sure how she's struggling so much with Transfiguration, because she's an ace at Charms, but she made a bit of progress tonight, so that's something."

"That's good," Rose said. "It's nice of you to do this. I know that it's in our duties that we tutor if we're asked and all, but you're really willing to do this."

He shrugged. "I'm trying to shape up my act a little, you know. It'd be good to have more of a good reputation than a bad one."

"You hardly have a bad reputation," Rose said. "You wouldn't be Head Boy if it was."

"Maybe to the professors, but I'm more concerned about the opinions of those closest to me," he said.

She sighed. "You're not still on about me getting mad at you, are you?"

"I just keep thinking about it all the time," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and place his chin in his hands. "If I hadn't acted like such an idiot and we didn't have such a ridiculous past to our friendship, you might not have gotten mad at me so fast."

"For one thing, I'm my father's daughter, and I've got a temper," she said. "For another, what you did was idiotic and I'd have been mad at you no matter what the history of our friendship looked like. Third, while you do pull some extraordinarily stupid things at times, my opinion of you will pretty much always be more good than bad, okay? You may drive me absolutely mental sometimes, but you’re kind of stuck with me."

He glanced at her, a soft smile on his face. "Thanks, Red," he said.

She nudged him with her shoulder. "No problem. Now, shall we get to work on these reports?"

He groaned. "I suppose."

They were quiet as they went through the stack of papers, and when they finished, Scorpius stood up and started toward his door.

"Scorp," Rose said.

He paused and turned around. "Yeah?"

She stood up and crossed the room, and then wrapped her arms around him. "We're mates, understood? Always, even if I get so mad at you I'd like to curse you forever."

His arms wound around her, and she felt him press a kiss to her hair and sigh. "Understood."

She relaxed against him, breathing in the smell that was so Scorpius—a mix of cologne, pine, and something she couldn't quite identify. After a while, she stepped back and smiled at him. "Night."

He smiled slightly in return. "Night, Red."

As she was walking into her room, she glanced over her shoulder. "By the way, I think I'm going to come to the match. See you in the morning."

She shut the door and laughed to herself about the sight of his shocked expression.

The following Saturday morning dawned the coldest it had been since the previous winter. Rose found herself going down to the Great Hall for breakfast with as many layers as she could scrounge up in her arms. She placed them beneath the bench as she sat down beside Serena. Across the table, Scorpius and Al were discussing match strategy. Lorcan looked rather green, and Lily, Maddie, and Lysander were attempting to talk him down and get him to eat something before it was time to head down for the match. Helena and Alice were engaged in a quiet discussion, and Trent and Beck were arguing over where the best place to sit during the match would be.

Scorpius glanced at Rose as she sat down. "Are you trying to turn yourself into a puffskein or something? You have enough coats there to clothe an army."

She stuck her tongue out at him and reached for the eggs. "For your information, I'd like to be warm today. You should be supporting this venture, seeing as I’m braving the cold to watch you play."

"Only Scorpius, not the rest of us?" Al asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I was responding to him, therefore I said I was braving the cold to watch him play. Obviously I'm coming to the match so that I can watch all of you, you idiot. I have two cousins and a number of friends playing today. I need to be there to support them."

"Will you be supporting your boyfriend?" Al asked.

"In matters of Quidditch, my house loyalty comes first," Rose said, dishing a couple of sausages onto her plate. "Pound Ravenclaw into the dirt, please. I want to see you lot win that Cup."

"Heard and understood, miss Head Girl," Al said.

"It's going to take a bit of fancy flying today, but I'm confident that we'll be able to beat Ravenclaw," Scorpius said. He glanced at Lorcan. "That is, we'll be able to beat Ravenclaw if Scamander can stop looking like he's going to hurl and actually hold his bat."

"I'm good enough for two of us," Maddie said. "Don't you worry, Captain. I've got this."

Scorpius ran his hand through his hair. "I'm glad that someone does."

Lorcan made a face. "I'm fine. I'll be in perfect working condition once we're out on the field. I'm just feeling a bit nervous, that's all."

Lily patted his back. "If we lose, I'm breaking up with you."

He gaped at her. "That really makes me feel _so_ much better. You're such a supportive girlfriend."

She grinned. "I do my best."

As they were walking out of the Great Hall after breakfast to go down to the pitch, Scorpius caught up to Rose. He laid his hand on her shoulder and leaned in. "I really am glad that you're coming to the match, Red." His voice was hushed, and Rose smiled at him. She gave him a quick hug and stepped back.

"You're going to do great, and I'll be in the stands cheering for you, all right?"

He nodded. "I'll keep an eye out."

Her smile widened, and she touched his arm lightly before going to join Alice, Helena, Trent, Beck, Lysander, and Serena, who were standing by the doors out of the entrance hall.

"Ready to go down to the pitch?" Alice asked.

"Definitely," Rose said. "We need good seats. They won't hear me when I yell anything, but I want to at least pretend that they will."

"Come on, then," Trent said. "Everyone's probably going to take a few more minutes to eat before they head down. We should have our pick of the seats on the Gryffindor side."

Sure enough, there was hardly anyone in the stands when they reached them, and Rose ended up beside Serena, with a number of empty seats to her right. It didn't take long for the rest of the students to begin to file into their seats, and once the stands were full, the familiar voice of Kacey Oberlin filled the air. She was a seventh-year Gryffindor like Rose, and had been commentating the matches since their fourth year.

"AND WE HAVE GRYFFINDOR AND RAVENCLAW FACING OFF,” she said, her magnified voice ringing out over the pitch. "THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM IS STRONG THIS YEAR, BUT RAVENCLAW ALSO BRINGS SOME FRESH TALENT TO THE COMPETITION. I PRESENT TO YOU THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM!"

The door to the Gryffindor locker room opened, and seven red blurs came flying out of it. As they circled the pitch, Kacey called their names. "CHASERS POTTER, BARNABY, AND LONGBOTTOM! BEATERS ALEXANDER AND SCAMANDER! KEEPER POTTER! SEEKER AND CAPTAIN MALFOY!"

The residents of the Gryffindor stands cheered loudly for the team as they flew around the pitch and came to a stop at the center of it. A moment later, the Ravenclaw team came out onto the pitch, flying a circle as well.

"YOUR RAVENCLAW TEAM!" Kacey called. "CHASERS ELBURN, RICHARDSON, AND BERROW! BEATERS RAMSEY AND EAMONS! KEEPER AND CAPTAIN PHIPPS! SEEKER WHITBY!"

The Ravenclaw side of the stands cheered. Rose watched Guy for a moment before returning her attention to the Gryffindor team. Madam Hooch was just about to blow her whistle when four people filed into the seats to Rose's right. Rose turned to look at them, and her mouth dropped.

"Vic, Teddy, what are you two doing here?" she asked. She leaned to look around them. "Hi, Liam, Alexa."

Victoire grinned. "We thought we'd come watch a match, seeing as Teddy and Alexa and I were given a couple of weeks to ourselves, and Liam wanted to come see his old team play, especially since he was informed that this is going to be an interesting match."

"It should be," Rose said. "Scorpius said that Ravenclaw is rather good this year, so we'll see what the outcome looks like."

"Oh, so the two of you worked it out?" Victoire asked.

"Merlin knows how, but we did," Rose said.

Victoire turned her attention the match as the Quaffle was tossed. "Well, I think it's safe to say that the two of you are always going to want to be in each other's lives, so I'm not too surprised. You two are more in sync than anyone I've seen in a long time."

"Is that a good thing, or—COME ON, AL!" Rose shouted. She watched with bated breath as Al flew a complicated pattern around Hailey Elburn, Zeke Richardson, and a carefully placed Bludger to toss the Quaffle at Drew. Drew grabbed it and slammed it towards the right ring. The Ravenclaw Keeper blocked it with her broom, and the entire Gryffindor section groaned.

There was no talking after that, save for screaming at the players and the calls. Almost five hours and several snacks (courtesy of Alexa) later, Rose stiffened and stood up from her seat when she saw Scorpius lean forward on his broom, Guy on his tail. "COME ON, SCORP! YOU'RE BETTER THAN THAT!"

Beside her, Victoire had risen from her seat as well. "GET YOUR BUTT MOVING AND FLY, MALFOY. I'VE SEEN YOU PLAY. THIS IS WEAK."

"GO, GO, GO, GO," Rose chanted as Scorpius closed in on the Snitch. Guy closed in on Scorpius, but the blond boy's hand was locked around the Snitch before Guy could knock his arm out of the way.

Scorpius help the tiny golden ball up in the air and flew down towards the stands and the grass of the pitch. He paused in front of the Gryffindor section to wink at Rose, who grinned at him, only to be tackled by the rest of the Gryffindor team a moment later.

Kacey's voice rang out across the pitch. "AND GRYFFINDOR WINS THE MATCH THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY TO ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY. VICTORY TO THE LIONS!"

"That was nerve-wracking," Rose said, sitting down on her chair and slumping back as people began to stream out of the stands. "I'm glad we won though."

"Are you going to go comfort Guy in his loss, or are you going to come to the victory party?" Serena asked.

"Victory party, obviously," Rose said. "I need to congratulate Scor—I need to congratulate the team."

"Nice save," Serena said, grinning.

Rose shrugged. "Habit."

"I'm sure," Serena said.

A moment later, Lysander bumped into her as he passed. "Oh, sorry, Serena."

She nodded. "It's okay." As soon as he was gone, she blushed.

Rose's eyes widened. "Rena, I think you and I need to have a talk."

Serena's brow furrowed, her cheeks still pink. "What about?"

"I think you know," Rose said. She turned to Victoire and Teddy. "It was lovely to see all of you. I think we're going to head up to Gryffindor Tower now."

Victoire grinned. "We understand. Victory parties are always fun. It was great seeing you, Rosie."

"It really was," Teddy said. "We'll have to get lunch sometime when you're on a Hogsmeade weekend and we don't have to work."

"That sounds wonderful," Rose said. "I'll see you at pre-Christmas family dinner."

"Of course," Victoire said. "Bye, Rosie."

Rose and Serena filed out of the stands, and once they were inside and walking up to the common room, Rose pulled Serena into an empty classroom.

"What?" Serena asked.

Rose looked at her pointedly. "You know what, Rena. You blushed when Lysander bumped into you. Do you fancy him?"

"Blunt," Serena said. When Rose raised her eyebrows, Serena groaned. "Fine, I fancy him. Happy now?"

"When did this start?" Rose asked.

Serena shrugged. "A couple of weeks ago, I guess. We were partnered together for that Defense thing and we started talking a lot after that and helping each other with a few spells and now I really like him." She buried her face in her hands and when she spoke again, her voice was muffled. "Merlin, Rose, I'm in way over my head."

"No you're not," Rose said. "Lysander's lovely. I'm sure he'd love to go out with you."

Serena looked up. "I can't just ask him to Hogsmeade, Rose!"

"Why not?" Rose asked. "You're friends. As far as he's concerned, you're just hanging out."

"I don't want to do it like that," Serena said. "Anyway, I don't think he likes me like that."

"How are you going to know if you don't ask him or tell him how you feel?" Rose asked.

"I don't know," Serena said. "Merlin, this is too hard."

"I'll tell you what, Rena," Rose said. "Let's go up to the common room and join the party and we can worry about this later. I just wanted to know."

"Yeah, I know," Serena said. "I should've told you sooner, I just... I thought that if I didn't talk about it, it would go away, but it isn't. Let's go to the party so that I can stop thinking about this."

"That sounds like a good idea," Rose said. "Come on."

They stopped at the Heads' dormitory so that Rose could drop off all of her outer layers, and when they went up to Gryffindor Tower, they were only a few moments behind the team. Rose caught Scorpius's eye. He grinned at her and opened his arms. She ran at him, and he picked her up and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek as he did.

"Congratulations!" she said once he lowered her to the floor.

His grin widened. "Thanks. I think I need to get you to come to more matches. You seem to be a good luck charm."

She laughed. "I’ve been to almost all of them, wins and losses, which begs the question of why you even felt the need to convince me to come to this one, but whatever you say, Scorp."

Chuckling, he shook his head. "Care to dance?"

She glanced at the dance floor, and then back at him, only to shrug a moment later. "Hey, why not?"

He took her hand. "That's what I like to hear."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, I actually updated on a Monday like I'm supposed to! What is this world coming to?
> 
> On a more serious note, thanks for the comments on last week's update! They were very much appreciated and I'm glad that people are still a) reading this and b) enjoying it.


	11. Chapter Ten

"Rose!"

Rose groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, pulling the blankets with her. A moment later, someone shook her shoulder, and she groaned again. "What?"

"Get up. We have a situation."

Rose sat up, rubbing her eyes. Serena came into focus sitting on the edge of the bed after a few moments, her expression serious. Rose yawned. "What kind of situation?"

"Something's up with Helena and I don't know what to do about it," Serena said.

Rose blinked a few times. "What do you mean, something's up with her? And why did this necessitate barging into my dormitory on a Saturday morning before I've even woken up for breakfast?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "Scorpius let me in when I knocked, so I figured it was fine."

"Rena, you know the password," Rose said.

Serena shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but I felt like knocking was appropriate since it was so early. Anyway, she isn't saying anything, and I don't know what's up with her."

"Rena, Helena never says much of anything," Rose said, crossing her legs beneath the blankets. "I doubt that it's anything to be concerned about. I'm sure she's fine."

"No, but this isn't Helena quiet," Serena said. "This is, like, I ask her a question and she's not paying any attention so she doesn't respond quiet, and you know that she's always paying attention."

"She's the silent observer, yeah," Rose said. "Huh, I guess that is a bit odd. Well, let's just give her a bit and see what she's like in a few days, and if she's still acting funny, then we can grab Alice and have a bit of an intervention."

After letting out a sigh, Serena nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. She might just be feeling a bit off or something."

"Exactly," Rose said. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to get another hour of sleep before breakfast, and if it wouldn't be too much trouble, please tell Scorp that if he ever lets you in this early again, I will murder him myself, all right?"

"Whatever you say," Serena said. "You're the Head Girl here."

"And you'd do well to remember that," Rose said. She grinned. "Seriously, Rena, I want to sleep."

Serena yawned. "Yeah, I could do with a nap myself. Mind if I take the couch?"

"As long as Scorp doesn't care, I don't," Rose said.

Serena nodded. "Excellent. Shall we head down to breakfast when you wake up?"

"Sure," Rose said. "Now go away."

Serena grinned and left Rose's room, pulling the door shut behind her. Rose pulled the covers up over herself, and was asleep within mere moments.

When she woke up an hour later, she brushed her teeth and pulled on a pair of jeans, a jumper, and some shoes before going out into the common room to wake Serena, who was fast asleep on the couch by the fire. There was no sign of Scorpius, save for his book sitting on the table, leading Rose to believe that he'd already gone down to eat.

She poked Serena's shoulder. "Rena, it's time for breakfast."

Serena sat up immediately, wiping her eyes. "I like food."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, I know. Come on."

When they reached their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, there were only two empty seats, both beside Lysander. Rose took the seat across from Scorpius, forcing Serena to take the seat to Lysander's right.

He smiled at Serena when she sat down. "Hi, Serena."

"Hey, Zander," she said. "Rose, pass me the porridge?"

Rose passed Serena the bowl and grinned. Across the table, Scorpius yawned. "Merlin, I'm tired."

"Why?" Rose asked. "You didn't do anything last night. No patrol, no Quidditch, we didn't have any Head duties to take care of..."

"Maybe not, but I was tutoring for a good three hours," he said. "You just missed it because you fell asleep right after dinner."

"I did?" Rose asked. "I don't remember that."

"Yeah, you passed out on the couch and I had to carry you into your room because you refused to wake up." Scorpius reached for the toast. "You don't weigh much, but I think I've had enough of having to carry you places for the rest of the year, if you don't mind my saying."

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's hardly my fault that I got sick." She smiled at Alice and Helena, who sat on Scorpius's right side. "Morning, Ali, Hel."

"Morning, Rose," Alice said.

She nudged Helena, who looked up in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I just said good morning, that's all," Rose said. "You all right, Hel?"

"Yeah, fine," Helena said, her gaze unfocused. She pushed her porridge around her bowl as Rose watched her.

"See what I mean?" Serena whispered.

Rose nodded, biting her lip for a moment before she glanced at Scorpius. "Wait, you tutored for three hours last night? I didn't know you had it in you, Scorp."

He shrugged. "Me either, but apparently I do. It helps that Ariadne isn't particularly frustrating to work with. It actually goes by pretty fast, if I'm being honest."

"Well, at least it doesn't feel too much like work," Rose said. "How's she doing?"

"A lot better," he said. "I think we'll be done in the next week or so, though I might still need to help her out from time to time. She's starting to get everything a lot quicker than she was before.  I think we've just about managed to sort out her issues with understanding. I don't think she actually struggles with the concepts, more with how they're presented to her."

Rose took a bite from the piece of toast she held. "That makes sense."

A few moments later, the post owls flew through the window. An unfamiliar eagle owl dropped a letter in front of Rose, and she opened it to reveal very familiar handwriting.

_Miss Weasley,_

_The presence of Mister Malfoy and yourself is required in my office at eleven o'clock this morning._

_The password is Nimbus 2000._

_Signed,_

_Professor McGonagall_

Rose looked at Scorpius. He hadn't received anything, and she kicked his leg gently under the table. He looked at her in confusion. "What was that for?" She passed him the letter, and he read over it before looking back at her. "What do you think she wants?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders once. "I have no idea. I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"So it would seem," he said.

After breakfast, Rose went up to the Heads' dormitory with Alice, Helena, and Serena (Scorpius had gone off with Al to do Merlin knew what). They settled on the couches and chairs around the fire, Helena staring at the flames.

"Hel, is something wrong?" Alice asked. "You seem a bit off today."

Helena blinked rapidly. "What did you say?"

"Is there anything you'd like to tell us?" Rose asked.

Helena shook her head. "No."

"If you say so," Rose said. There was a moment of silence, and she shifted in her seat. "Apparently I'm meant to be going up to Professor McGonagall's office at eleven."

"Did she say why?" Alice asked.

"No, only that she needs to speak with me and Scorp," Rose said. "No signs about what she wants to tell us, only that we need to be there at eleven and what the password is."

"That's interesting," Alice said. "I wonder what it'll be."

Serena laughed. "She probably just wants to tell them that they're doing a marvelous job as Heads and that they should keep up the good work."

"We're a mess, so I doubt that," Rose said. "I do want to know what she wants though. Whatever it is, it must be important, or she wouldn't insist on calling us to her office to talk about it."

"You'll find out in a couple of hours," Alice said. "And I expect that you'll tell us as soon as you can."

Rose nodded. "I'll do my best. Well, I'll tell you, Ali. Serena deserves to have to wait seeing as she insisted on not telling us about the most recent development in her love life."

Alice grinned. "Yeah, I still can't believe that you didn't say anything to us sooner. How did we not know that you fancy Lysander? For that matter, how did none of us pick up on it until now? You've never been altogether that great at hiding those sorts of things, especially not from us."

"Maybe my skills have improved or something," Serena said. "Either way, does it really matter? We're mates, that's all. I don't want to ruin it."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Why worry about ruining it when you could make it a million times better by saying something? I know that Declan and I beat around the bush for ages before we started seeing each other, but it's been wonderful, and I'd never dream of only being friends with him after all of this. He's my best mate as well as my boyfriend, and it's lovely to have things that way. We know each other so much better now."

Helena twisted in her chair as Serena spoke. "I mean, maybe, but I feel like it could really change things."

"For the better," Rose said. "What are you so worried about, Rena? Worst case, it doesn't work out, you don't see each other for a few months once we're done with school, and then all is back to normal after a bit of time apart. It's not like you're practically related to him or anything, and even if you were, Vic managed to make it work just fine with Teddy."

"And so I get advice from the two people in the room who are in relationships," Serena said. "Only Hel feels my pain. Right?"

Helena stood up. "I'm going for a walk."

She didn't wait for a response before she left the room, the door swinging shut behind her. Rose exchanged a glance with Serena and Alice. "There is _definitely_ something up with her. Has she said or done anything recently that might be the reason for this?"

"Not that I can think of," Alice said. "Everything's been completely normal in the dormitory. Have you noticed anything, Serena?"

Serena shook her head. "We've been doing everything the same way that we always do. She just started acting like this today, and I don't have any idea why. I mean, I know she's always been quiet, but this is beyond that. I'm starting to worry about her."

Rose sighed. "I stand by what I said to you this morning, Rena. We should give her a couple of days, and if she's still acting strange, then we start trying to figure out what the problem is. It might be something she can sort out herself."

"Maybe," Serena said. "It's just odd, that's all."

Rose brushed her hair out of her face. "Yeah, I know. The whole thing will be taken care of, one way or another."

"I just hope it happens sooner rather than later," Serena said.

Alice nodded. "I agree with you on that one. It's strange when Helena isn't acting like her normal self. She tends to be the most constant of the lot of us."

"That's probably why it's so disconcerting." Rose stretched her arms over the back of the couch and groaned. "Merlin, I'm stiff. We're not going to solve anything just by discussing the fact that Helena's acting different than usual, so about we change the subject for now? I do believe that we have a Scamander and a Ladley to set up."

Serena groaned as Alice clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun."

"You lot enjoy abusing me, don't you?" Serena asked.

Rose grinned. "It's just part of the fun, Rena."

They continued to talk until ten minutes before eleven, at which point Alice and Serena went up to Gryffindor Tower and Rose headed off to Professor McGonagall's office. Scorpius was standing in front of the gargoyle when she arrived, and he turned to look at her as she neared him.

"Ready?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah. I just hope it isn't anything bad."

"How could it be?" He slung his arm over her shoulders and squeezed once before removing it. "It's not like we've done anything that would get us into trouble. Nimbus 2000."

The last line was uttered to the gargoyle, which moved aside to reveal a spiral staircase. They stepped onto it, and it began to carry them up to the door the Headmistress's office. Rose raised her hand to knock on the door, only for it to swing open.

"Come inside, you two."

That was Neville's voice, and Rose and Scorpius exchanged a glance before stepping into the office. Professor McGonagall sat in the chair behind the desk, Neville standing to her right. He gestured for them to sit in the armchairs that sat on the side of the desk opposite Professor McGonagall, and Rose and Scorpius hurried to do as they were told.

Once they were settled, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "I trust you're wondering why you were asked here today."

"We are, yes," Rose said. "Has something happened?"

"The Headmistress and I were speaking, and we decided that while we are not hosting the Triwizard Tournament this year, nor will we ever host it again, the Yule Ball is a tradition that many students enjoy and should have the opportunity to take part in, so we will be hosting one on the last day of the term, before you all go home for the winter holidays," Neville said. "We will be taking care of the majority of the planning and preparation, but if you feel up to the responsibility, we ask that you help as well."

"I'd love to," Rose said.

Scorpius nodded. "Count me in."

"Excellent," Neville said. "Now, we'll be making the announcement about the ball at dinner, so please, don't say anything to your friends before then. We want it to be a surprise for as many people as possible." Rose and Scorpius nodded. Neville smiled. "You're dismissed. We'll send for you whenever we need your help."

Rose and Scorpius left the office after nodding respectfully to both professors, and they were halfway to the Heads' dormitory when Scorpius cleared his throat.

"I know that sound," Rose said. "That's the I-have-a-question-I-need-to-ask-you-but-I'm-not-sure-how-to-go-about-it sound."

Scorpius smiled slightly. "You know me too well, Red."

She nudged his shoulder with her own. "Someone has to. What is it? There's no point in not being straight about it, I think we're beyond dancing around each other."

"You're probably right," he said. "I'm just not sure if this breaks your rule or not."

"If you're not sleeping with whoever it is, it probably doesn't," Rose said, though she grinned to take the edge off of her words. "Who do you need to bring into the dormitory?"

"Ariadne," he said. "I ran into her after breakfast and she wanted to know if I could help her out with her Transfiguration essay tonight, so I said I could as long as you were okay with it."

Rose laughed. "You're just tutoring, it's fine. I'm meant to be meeting Guy for a bit anyway, so it's not like it's going to do me any harm. I'll be out of your way after dinner for what'll probably be a couple of hours, so you should be all set. Just don't get any ideas."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Red," he said. "I've been on your bad side enough times to know that I really don't want to do that again. I'll let her know, and thanks."

She shrugged. "I'm just helping my fellow Head fulfill his duty. It's hardly a chore, unless you make it into one."

Scorpius made a face. "Seeing as I have absolutely no interest in complicating our jobs, I don't think that's anything that you need to worry about." He sighed a moment later. "Merlin, now I'm going to have to rearrange the Quidditch schedule to make it as easy to work with as possible. This should be fun."

"You'll sort it," Rose said. "You've managed for this long, haven't you? You've juggled Head duties and Quidditch so far, you'll be able to do this just fine. Don't worry about it so much."

"Rose Weasley, the stickler for organization and knowing exactly when things are going to happen, is telling me not to worry about scheduling things?" Scorpius's eyes widened. "Is the world going mad?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"You remind me of it fairly often, so I believe I do," he said as they reached the dormitory. "Eridanus."

The tapestry melted into the wall and the door appeared. He pushed it open and gestured for her to go inside. She rolled her eyes again and walked past him into the common room. As soon as she took off her shoes, she allowed herself to fall onto the couch next to Scorpius. "Why am I so bloody tired?"

"Have you been up late recently?" Scorpius asked.

Rose shook her head before she rested it on his shoulder. "Not really, no. I've just been feeling a bit lethargic lately."

"It might just be that you've been working too hard for the last couple of months," he said, settling his arm around her shoulders. "Just hold on for a bit more and then you'll have a couple weeks to do nothing."

"If by do nothing you mean attend every single holiday party my extended family hosts, and visit friends, then yeah, I'll have plenty of time to do nothing." Rose rubbed her eyes.

"You very well can't miss the annual Potter New Year's party," Scorpius said. "At least it's fun. Are you going to come for Christmas?"

"I do believe I'll have to." Rose sighed. "Mum and Dad will insist, seeing as they're best mates with Uncle Harry, and Aunt Ginny is Dad's sister. He wouldn't dream of making her mad by not going. I do believe all of her brothers have been on the receiving end of her Bat-Bogey Hex one too many times to even think about turning her down."

He wrinkled his nose. "Having been on the receiving end of that very hex from one of her prodigies, I can't say I blame them. It's not pleasant in the slightest."

"Don't do things to make me mad and you won't have to face that hex," Rose said. "I'm a redhead. I'm bound to have a temper."

Scorpius held his hand up, only to lower it. "I was going to contradict you there and say that you've got redheaded cousins who are rather mellow, but that's not really true."

Rose laughed. "Well, Lil is definitely a firecracker, and while it's hard to make Hugo angry, once he is, it's best to stay out of firing range. The same goes for the majority of the family, really. Dad's always had a bit of a short temper though, so I do believe I get it from him."

"You got your temper from him, and I get to undergo all of the abuse that's the result of it," Scorpius said.

"I'm not that mean to you." Rose yawned. "I'm only mean to you when you deserve it, and to be fair, you've deserved it quite a lot this year."

"I guess," he said. "I don't know why I ever thought it was a good idea to test your rules. It's never ended well. I have no idea why I thought it would start to."

She grinned. "It's in your nature to want things to change and to believe that they can. I'd say that's part of the reason why you ended up in Gryffindor. If you'd been the kind of person who thought everyone is bound to the path that everyone else sets them on, you'd have been more like a Slytherin than anything else, because that's what people expected of you."

He glanced at her. "Did you expect that from me?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know. I think I did to start out with, just because I heard plenty about your family's behaviour during the war, but it didn't take me very long to see that you weren't much of a Slytherin. A right pain in the ass, maybe, but not a Slytherin."

He chuckled. "It's good to know that you think so highly of me, Red. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you to keep my ego in check."

"Let your ego get so big that your head explodes?” she asked. “I wouldn't want to be Al, what with having to clean up that mess."

"I'm sure he'd figure out a way to get someone else to do it," Scorpius said.

Rose smiled. "You're probably right."

They continued to talk until lunchtime, and when dinner finally rolled around, they sat across from each other, both with a small smile on their lips.

"Okay, you two obviously know something that the rest of us don't know," Serena said. "Would you care to elaborate as to what it is?"

"Where would the fun be in that?" Rose asked.

Scorpius grinned at Serena. "You'll find out what we know soon. Just be patient."

She crossed her arms. "You know that patience isn't one of my strong points."

As Rose reached for the potatoes, she laughed. "Yeah, Rena, we do, but we said that we wouldn't say anything to the official announcement, and as Head Boy and Head Girl, it's our responsibility to keep the promises that we make, especially when those promises are made to the Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster. They're announcing it at dinner tonight anyway, so you really don't need to wait that much long. Just eat, and don't worry about it so much."

Serena sighed. "But it's so difficult."

"You'll manage," Rose said. "I believe in your ability to get through the next fifteen minutes without spontaneously combusting, Rena."

"Your faith in her is astounding." Alice grinned. "I want to know too, but I do believe I can last another fifteen minutes without dying, so I'm not too concerned about missing the announcement. Pass me the chicken, would you, Hel?"

Helena was silent as she reached for the dish and passed it to Alice. Rose raised her eyebrows and then shook her head. "It's a good announcement, I promise. At least, I think it's good. Would you say that this is a good one, Scorp?"

He nodded. "It should be, yeah. It's going to mean more work for us, but I think everyone's going to be happy about it."

"Now I really want to know," Serena said.

Rose chuckled as she shook her head. "You really need to work on that whole patience thing, you know that? Not being able to wait for things isn't going to serve you very well later in life."

"I think her lack of patience is amusing."

Rose looked at Lysander, who sat across from Serena. His dark hair was mussed, and he had a small smile on his face as he looked at Serena. Rose turned her gaze on Alice, who raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"Well, at least someone does," Rose said. "Isn't that right, Rena? Merlin knows the rest of us just don't appreciate you enough, right?"

Serena's eyes widened. "Uh, yeah."

"Serena Ladley lost for words," Lysander said. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"It had to happen sometime," Rose said.

Lysander nodded. "I suppose."

They talked for a while longer, only to fall silent when Neville rose to his feet. He pressed his wand to his throat, murmured what Rose knew was "Sonorus," and began to speak.

"After conferring with the Headmistress and the Head Boy and Head Girl, we have come to the conclusion that it is time to reinstate what was once a long-standing tradition, albeit without the more dangerous precursor to the event," he said, his voice ringing out over the silent students. "On the last day of the term before you all leave for the winter holidays, we will be hosting a Yule Ball. It will begin promptly at seven o'clock. All students are welcome, but those in the third year and below will be expected to return to their dormitories by ten in the evening, while those in fourth through seventh year may remain in the Great Hall until midnight. We expect all of you to be on your best behaviour, and should the night go well, this will become a regular tradition at Hogwarts. Thank you for listening, and should you have any questions, please asking myself or one of your Head students."

As he sat down and the volume in the Great Hall rose, Serena clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is definitely going to be fun. I can't believe you didn't tell me as soon as you found out, Rose!"

"Like I said before, I told Professor McGonagall and Uncle Neville that I wouldn't say anything until the official announcement," Rose said. "They wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, including our friends. It was probably wise, because the whole school would know within an hour if we told even one of you."

"What makes you say that?" Serena asked.

Scorpius chuckled. "You'd tell Alice, Alice would tell Helena, someone would overhear, they'd tell their friend, that friend would tell someone else, someone else would overhear that... It's just how gossip travels at Hogwarts."

Rose shook her head. "Merlin only knows how Vic and Teddy managed to keep their relationship secret from the general population of Hogwarts. Then again, I don't know how Dom and Seb managed it, because at least Teddy and Vic were friends to begin with."

"They were probably just a lot more careful with their relationships than they would be with an announcement like this," Alice said. "With the ball, if the whole school found out, it would ruin the surprise, but it wouldn't really do anything else to the situation or the people involved. With their relationships, if the wrong people found out or people found out too soon, it could completely ruin everything. It makes perfect sense."

"And Alice provides the voice of reason once again," Rose said.

Alice grinned. "Well, no one else around here is going to do it."

"Sometimes I think that you should've been Head Girl instead of me," Rose said.

Scorpius's eyes widened. "I can't have anyone else as Head Girl, Red, I need someone who can keep an eye on me."

Rose rolled her eyes. "I think you mean that you need somebody who's not afraid to tell you when you're being a complete git."

"Essentially, yes," Scorpius said.

"I'm glad we're on the same page here," Rose said.

After dinner, Rose met up with Guy in the seventh corridor outside of the Room of Requirement. They walked back and forth three times, and then entered the room through the door that appeared in the wall. Inside was a collection of couches, with a large rug spread across the floor and windows that allowed them to see the stars and the moon outside. A fire blazed in the grate, warming the room and sending flickering light across the walls.

They went over to the couch closest to the fire and sat down, and he wrapped his arm around her once they were both settled.

He kissed the side of her head. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."

"I've just been busy lately," Rose said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I've had so much coursework, and Scorp and I have been swamped with Head duties. For some reason, people are getting even more detentions than usual right now. You'd think they'd be going into hibernation, what with it getting colder and all."

Guy chuckled. "Considering that they're looking for a way to warm up, it doesn't surprise me that they're coming out in full force as the weather gets cooler."

"And there's the Ravenclaw logic again," Rose said. "See, this is why I need you around. You see the obvious conclusion that I miss with my ridiculous Gryffindor brain."

"Your ridiculous Gryffindor brain has the highest average in our year," Guy said.

"Closely followed by one Scorpius Malfoy." Rose wrinkled her nose.

Guy laughed. "Oh, is that a bad thing?"

"Not bad, it just means that he likes to taunt me whenever he does better than me on an assignment," Rose said. "Of course, that's incredibly rare, but it's not fun at all when it does happen."

"Unsurprisingly," Guy said. "So, there's going to be a Yule Ball?"

Rose nodded. "Evidently. Don't ask me too many questions about it, I really don't know much at all. I'm not sure why Uncle Neville told people to come to us if they're confused, we barely know anything about it. We only found out it was happening this morning, and they haven't said a word to us about what exactly it is that we're going to need to be doing."

"I'm sure they'll tell you soon," Guy said. He grinned. "Who are you going to go with?"

Rose rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side. "Well, I have this boyfriend who's in Ravenclaw, but Merlin only knows how, because he can be a real idiot at times."

"Would you do me the honor of attending the ball with me?" Guy asked.

Rose smiled. "Of course I will. I really don't understand how you're a Ravenclaw, what with all of the stupid questions you ask."

He said nothing, instead leaning in to press his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and for a while, everything outside of the room they were sitting in seemed entirely unimportant.

At a quarter past nine, they parted ways, and she headed back to the Heads' dormitory.

She pushed the door open just in time to hear, "Of course I'll go out with you, Scorpius!"

Rose cleared her throat and stepped into the common room, closing the door behind her. "Am I interrupting something?"

The tall girl with honey-blonde hair and blue eyes stepped away from Scorpius, a smile on her face. "Oh, no. Hi, Rose!"

"Ariadne, right?" Rose asked. The girl nodded. "It's nice to meet you. Or should I say, it's nice to meet you officially?"

"You too," Ariadne said. "Well, I should get back to my dormitory, but I can't wait for our walk, Scorpius."

She stepped closer to him long enough to give him a quick kiss, smiled at Rose, picked up her bag, and left the common room.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "So, you have a girlfriend now?"

His cheeks were bright red. "And your point is?"

Rose grinned. "It's nothing, it's just amusing to see you actually asking somebody out."

"I like Ariadne," Scorpius said. "She's fun to be around."

"At least that's a decent justification," Rose said. "My rule still holds though, Scorp."

He sighed. "I figured as much."

She walked toward her room, pausing only long enough to pat him on the shoulder. "Good to know that you're still thinking straight, lover boy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to me for almost forgetting to update today, but it's half an hour til midnight so I'm still technically on time. This is not my favorite of my 2015-written chapters and may undergo a slight overhaul at a later date just to make it a little smoother, but it gets the job done.


	12. Chapter Eleven

Early December found the entire castle abuzz about the Yule Ball, which was only a little over a week away. Rose and Scorpius had been dragged into decorating meetings by Neville, and between the three of them and a selection of the seventh-year prefects, they managed to decide on decorations, food, and which band would be most appropriate to hire (They eventually came to the conclusion that they should use Drew Barnaby's connection to Completely Witchy, seeing as the band had been extremely popular recently). They were sick of hearing about it, but the rest of the student body wouldn't shut up about what they were wearing, who they were going with, or how much fun it was going to be.

Needless to say, it drove Rose absolutely mad.

It certainly didn't help that the first snowfall of the year had been the previous Tuesday, and according to every fifth-year girl under the sun, it set the mood perfectly for the upcoming event. Rose just thought that it was cold and obnoxious for their required treks out to the greenhouses for Herbology.

When she entered the Heads' common room that Friday after a brief trip to the kitchen for some hot chocolate with Serena, Scorpius was seated on the floor in front of the low table that sat in the center of the room with the couches and chairs positioned around it. He had a long scroll of parchment in front of him, and notes spread all around the table and on the floor. As she watched, he glanced at one piece of parchment, then another, and then began to write on the scroll.

She dropped her bag on the floor and crossed the room to fall onto the couch behind him. "Everything about this is making me go absolutely mental, Scorp."

"Is everyone still completely hung up on the ball?" he asked.

She groaned. "You'd think they'd be over it by now, but apparently that's not possible. It's just a ball, they don't need to get so excited about it."

"I have a feeling we only think that because we attend all the holiday parties every year and they're pretty damn close," Scorpius said.

She sighed. "Maybe, but I'm still tired of hearing about it and having people ask me the same question a good thirty-eight times a day."

He chuckled. "Thirty-eight? That's oddly specific."

She pulled a cushion over her head, muffling her voice when she spoke next. "I counted today."

"You really are going mad."

She removed the cushion and set it back in its proper place on the couch. "I told you." She glanced around the room. "What are you working on, anyway?"

"That Defense essay that's due next week," he said. "I know it's not due until Tuesday and all of that, but the sooner I'm done with it, the sooner I don't have to think about, and seeing as the ball preparations have ended up taking more time than I originally anticipated and I have Quidditch practice tomorrow, the less I have to do, the better."

She nodded. "Mmhm."

There was quiet after that. The only sounds in the common room were his quill scratching across the parchment, the occasional shuffle of papers, her breathing, and the fire crackling in the grate. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the cushion, all the while conscious of Scorpius's presence only a foot away from her.

When she woke up a few hours later, there was a blanket covering her body and a pillow beneath her head. Scorpius had gone, and all of his work had been cleared and left in a neat stack on the table, his eagle feather quill sitting perfectly on top. She blinked slowly and sat up, pushing the hair that had fallen out of her braid away from her face. The blanket fell away from her, and the frigid air hit her as soon as the cloth was gone. She rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself up and stood, crossing to the fireplace. The fire had gone down to coals, and she hurried into her room so that she could change.

She pulled on an oversized jumper and a pair of leggings. After adding a pair of fluffy socks and some boots, and re-braiding her hair, she glanced at the clock. It was nearing dinnertime, so she left the dormitory and made her way down to the Great Hall. Scorpius and Ariadne were walking onto the second floor staircase just as she did, and the blonde Hufflepuff smiled at her.

"Hi, Rose!"

Rose smiled back. "Hi, Ariadne." She reached out and touched Scorpius's hand. "Thank you." He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. She chuckled quietly. "For the pillow and the blanket."

He nodded, a small smile on his face. "Well, I very well couldn't have my fellow Head cold or waking up with a stiff neck, could I? Just think of how grumpy you would've been if you'd woken up cold and uncomfortable."

"Of course you only did that to save yourself," Rose said. "Either way, it was very nice of you and I appreciate it."

He shrugged, grinning. "It was the right thing to do. You were fast asleep when I got up to meet Ari, and seeing as I've carried you around enough times in the last few months, it was the best thing to do other than carry you to your bed."

She laughed and shook her head. "I never thought I'd see the day when you would be nice to me just for the sake of being nice to me, but I guess it had to come sometime, huh?"

"It's hard for me to imagine Scorpius not being nice to somebody," Ariadne said.

Rose grinned. "You didn't know him when he was twelve."

"I was hardly that bad," Scorpius said.

"No, you just insisted on teasing me all the time because you found it entertaining and I put up with you," Rose said. "There are other people who wouldn't be anywhere near as forgiving."

Scorpius looked at her and smiled. "I really lucked out getting you as my fellow Head, didn't I, Red?"

"Anyone else would've killed you by now, so yeah, you did," she said.

They walked into the Great Hall. Ariadne gave Scorpius a kiss on the cheek before departing to the Hufflepuff table, and Scorpius and Rose made their way down the Gryffindor table to their usual seats.

"What do you think of Ari?" he asked once they sat down.

"She's nice." When Scorpius raised his eyebrows, Rose shrugged. "What do you want me to say? That's a very pointed question. I barely know the girl, Scorp. From the times I've talked to her, she seems very sweet, and that's really all I have to say about it, all right?"

He sighed. "All right. I just value your opinion, that's all."

Truth be told, that wasn't all Rose had to say about it, but it was all she would say about it. If she had been honest, she would have said that Ariadne was nice, and sweet, but that she also didn't seem like Scorpius's type at all. He needed someone who would recognize him and call him out for the idiot that he could be, someone who could balance out the overly spontaneous and absurd parts of him, and Ariadne was just too mellow for that. Rose wasn't about to be accused of jealousy (since she wasn't jealous at all), so she chose not to say anything, but she had felt that way since the first day she met Ariadne a couple of weeks previous.

She was still musing over her thoughts when Serena sat down beside her. It was a few moments before Rose realized that anyone was speaking to her, and she shook her head once before looking at Serena. "Sorry, what did you say? I was thinking about something."

"Obviously," Serena said. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Rose."

Rose's brow furrowed, and she reached for the shepherd's pie. "What are you talking about?"

Serena groaned. "Really? Rose, I still don't have a date for the ball. What am I going to do?"

"It's all going to be fine, Rena," Rose said. "We've still got a week. Someone's bound to ask you. You're one of the best girls in our year."

"She's right, Ladley," Scorpius said. "There's bound to be some guy that wants to go with you. It just isn't exactly easy to get a word in if they don't know you well."

Serena glanced at him. "What does that mean?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Only that you've got a particularly vibrant personality and it can be a bit intimidating if you aren't used to it."

"I'm intimidating?" Serena asked. _"Me?"_

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?" Scorpius asked.

Serena's eyes widened. "But I'm not intimidating!"

Rose chuckled. "I think he's right, Rena. I love you, but your personality is rather large, and I'd imagine that if it isn't someone close to you, it could be a bit difficult to approach you. You're absolutely lovely, but sometimes you can be a bit in-your-face without meaning to."

"I didn't think I was that bad," Serena said.

Alice sat down beside Scorpius on the other side of the table from Rose. "What are we talking about now and why is Serena all worked up?"

"She's panicking because she doesn't have a date for the ball yet, that's all," Rose said. "Scorpius and I were telling her that it might just be that the guy in question needs to work up the courage to ask her, seeing as her personality is a big one."

Alice nodded and reached for the roast chicken. "I can see why that could be a bit of an issue."

"Does _everyone_ think that my personality is an issue?" Serena asked.

"It's not a bad kind of issue, Rena," Rose said. "It just takes some getting used to, that's all."

Serena's shoulders slumped. "You're all making me feel so incredibly optimistic, you know that?"

Rose grinned. "We do our best." She sobered a moment later. "Honestly, Rena, somebody's going to ask you to go with them. It's just taking a bit of time. They sort of sprung the ball on all of us, so it's only natural that it's going to take a while for people to actually think about who they're going to ask and all of that. If nobody's asked you by Wednesday, you have my permission to panic, but they will."

"You'd better be right," Serena said.

"I've been known to be from time to time," Rose said. "If I'm not, you have my permission to... I don't know, take over my room in the Heads' dormitory for the first week that we're back from the winter holidays."

"That's a pretty big bet right there," Scorpius said.

Rose shrugged. "Someone's going to ask her, so I'm not too concerned about it. Anyway, I'd just go back to my old bed in Gryffindor Tower. You'd be the one who'd have to handle having a new roommate for a week."

"Yeah, we really need to make sure that somebody asks her," Scorpius said, wrinkling his nose.

"Oh, that just makes me feel so much better," Serena said.

"I'm sure it does," Scorpius said.

Rose took a bite from her shepherd's pie and looked at Alice. "So, is Declan coming in for the ball, or are you just going to go on your own?"

"I'm fairly sure he's coming," she said. "He says his schedule should be clear then, but it depends on whether or not he gets called into work. He's going to try his best to make it though."

Serena wrinkled her nose. "And then we all get to suffer through the overly enthusiastic reunion and the way that you're going to be joined at the hip for the duration of the evening."

"You know that we aren't anywhere near as bad as we could be," Alice said.

"I guess," Serena said. "That doesn't mean that it's any less vomit-inducing though."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Your support of my relationship is just so wonderful. I can really feel the love here."

"I'm sure you can," Serena said. "Has anyone seen Helena?"

Alice and Rose shook their heads.

"I haven't seen her since classes ended," Rose said, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"Me either," Alice said. "She was back in the dormitory for about five minutes afterwards and then she left and I haven't seen her since."

"I have," Scorpius said. When the three girls turned to look at him, he jerked his chin in the direction of the doors to the Great Hall. "She's right there."

Sure enough, the tall, blue-eyed brunette was walking through the open doors with Trent. Both had a smile on their faces, and they sat down beside each other once they reached the girls and Scorpius.

"What are you smiling about?" Serena asked, looking at Helena.

Helena shrugged. "Trent asked me to the ball."

Serena raised her eyebrows. "He did, did he?"

Trent nodded and reached for the roast beef. "About five minutes ago, yeah. I mean, who else was I going to go with? Rose and Alice have boyfriends, Drew's going with Landon Henderson from Hufflepuff, Kacey's going with Connor Tremlett, and I very well can't ask Serena."

"And why is that?" Serena asked.

Trent grinned and picked up the bowl of roast potatoes. "You'll find out, don't you worry." He looked at Scorpius. "So you're officially going with Ariadne, then?"

Scorpius looked at Trent, a confused expression on his face. "I mean, she is my girlfriend."

Trent shook his head quickly. "Right, sorry. I keep forgetting that. It's strange, having you attached to someone."

"If by strange you mean you thought it wouldn't happen in a million years, then yeah, you'd be right," Rose said.

Scorpius's mouth dropped. "That hurts, Red."

"What, you can't handle hearing that you struggle with commitment?" Rose asked. She reached out and rested her hand on top of his, leaning forward so that she could speak to him more easily. "Scorpius, the first step toward fixing a problem is admitting that you have it. If you refuse to accept that you have commitment issues, I don't think any of us are going to be able to help you." When his only response was to stare at her, she grinned and sat back, taking her hand off of his. "I'm only joking. You should've seen the look on your face though."

"She's right," Trent said. "It was pretty funny."

"I'm glad to know that you all think so highly of me," Scorpius said.

Rose laughed. "Don't take it the wrong way, Scorp. We love you and accept you as you are. It's just an interesting twist that you actually have a girlfriend who's probably going to last longer than two weeks, that's all."

"I'm putting my bets on a month," Trent said. "Rose?"

Rose held her hands up. "I may enjoy teasing him about it, but I'm not about to bet on the length of his relationship. It wouldn't really be right. Betting on when two people will get together is one thing, but betting on when they're going to break up is another one entirely."

Trent sighed. "I always forget that your family takes betting very seriously."

Rose shrugged. "It's not so much that we take it seriously as it is that we have a lot of bets about a lot of stupid things, so we've learned how to pick and choose the most appropriate ones to put our money on."

"They've turned betting into an art form," Serena said. "What's the most interesting one that the lot of you have going at the moment anyway?"

Rose grinned, two familiar faces flashing into her mind. "Oh, Al, Lily, Aunt Ginny, Teddy, and I all have a bet going about when James is going to end up proposing to Sarah. My money's on three years. Lily says two, Al says five, and Aunt Ginny is holding out for six, but we'll see."

"How long have those two been together, anyway?" Trent asked. "I remember Jade and Victoire talking about it when Vic was over at our house once, but I didn't really pay much attention to them for the first couple years of their relationship, beyond the fact that James is Al's brother."

Rose bit her lip and looked at Alice. "Let's see... James has had a crush on her for what is essentially forever, seeing as they met when they were really young. How did it end up working out, Ali?"

Alice twisted her hands together. "Uh, I'm pretty sure it was that they got into a big fight fifth year because what's-his-name from Ravenclaw was flirting with Sarah, and James finally snapped and told her he liked her."

Rose nodded. "Right, yeah. So he told her that he liked her and they went to Hogsmeade together and then became official and they've been together ever since."

"Of course, sometimes she threatens to break up with him when he's being particularly stupid, but it's a pretty empty threat." That was Lily's voice, and Rose grinned as her cousin and Lorcan sat down on the opposite side of the table. "Well, Mum and I know that it's an empty threat, but it still does a pretty good job of terrifying James, so she uses it. And I still say that they're going to be engaged by the time they're both twenty-two."

"We'll see if you're right," Rose said. "I'm still banking on three years."

"Mum's probably going to win." Al sat down beside Scorpius as Maddie sat down in the open seat beside Lily. "She tends to. I'm only in on the bet for the fun of it, but Mum said if it's right smack in the middle of our two bets, she'll split the pot with me. It would be good to get twenty Galleons."

Trent's eyes widened. "You lot put in ten Galleons each on when James is going to be engaged? Merlin, your family really is absolutely mad."

"We've been trying to tell you that for ages, but you all refuse to listen to us," Al said. "Some of us aren't horrible, but we all have our quirks and whatnot."

"Speak for yourself," Rose said. "I happen to think I'm perfectly normal, thank you very much."

Scorpius chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that, Red."

Rose glanced at him, a grin on her face. "I'm going to, because it's true. You have to admit, I'm nowhere near as bad as some of my family members."

"Oh, definitely not," Scorpius said. "Is Lucy still..."

"Still the way she was when she was at school?" Rose asked. "Mostly."

"She's finally in a relationship that's lasted longer than six months, but none of us are really sure how much longer it's going to last," Al said. "We all refuse to bet on it because we've learned that bets like that are a terrible idea, but I think everyone's wondering about it a bit."

"Who's she dating?" Trent asked.

"Josh Ginsworth, from Vic's year," Rose said. "We're all hoping it works out, because he's a lot of fun to have around, but one never knows with Lucy."

Lily snorted. "Uncle Percy just loves it. I'm surprised the man hasn't been admitted to St. Mungo's for heart problems yet."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, I'd say she takes after Aunt Audrey, but that's a lie. Aunt Audrey's fun, but she never dated anywhere near as much as Luce does."

"And you say that I have commitment issues," Scorpius said. "It's hard to have commitment issues when you never actually commit to anything."

Rose made a face. "Fine, you win."

After dinner, she and Scorpius made their way up to the dormitory. Once they were inside, Rose sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket up over her legs. Scorpius sat down on the other end of the couch, tucking his feet under the edge of the blanket so that his sock-covered feet brushed up against her thigh. They sat there in silence for a while, listening to the freshly kindled fire crackling in the grate, and eventually, Scorpius spoke.

"Serena's really worked up about this whole thing, isn't she?"

Rose sighed and tucked the blanket more tightly around her legs. Her hand brushed against his ankle as she did, and she swallowed before speaking. "Yeah, she's really worried about it."

Scorpius's brow furrowed. "Why? It's not like she's not gorgeous. Someone's bound to ask her."

"It's not so much about someone asking her as it is about the correct someone asking her," Rose said.

Scorpius nodded. "Lysander?"

Rose's eyes widened as she looked at him. "You know about that?"

"Well, the lads and I all know that he fancies her, so yeah, I know about that," Scorpius said. "Does she really think that he isn't going to ask her?"

Rose sighed and leaned her head against the back of the couch. "Apparently. The girls and I have been trying to encourage her to go for it, but it hasn't been going so well. She's convinced that he doesn't like her and that it's going to ruin their friendship if they start seeing each other, and we all think that she's being a complete idiot about the whole thing."

Scorpius shrugged. "I mean, I can understand not wanting to ask somebody out because you don't want to ruin your existing relationship with them."

Rose laughed. "Yeah, like you've ever fancied any of us. It's not something you need to worry about."

He sighed. "I know, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I get her point. It's already terrifying enough to tell someone that you fancy them without having to add in the fact that they're one of your mates."

"I doubt that's a problem that you have," Rose said.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

She pulled her hair out of her braid and began to run her fingers through it as she spoke. "I mean, you're Scorpius Malfoy. You know how the girls are when it comes to you."

"Not all of them," he said.

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously, not all of them, but the fact remains that you're rather in demand by the female population of Hogwarts, and I'd hazard a guess some of the male population too."

"Are you trying to say that you think I'm attractive?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She chuckled. "Of course you'd take that away from what I just said to you."

"You totally were."

She crossed her arms. "I wasn't, I was just saying that it's not an issue for you since most people just fall at your feet."

He leaned forward. "You definitely think I'm attractive."

"If it makes you feel better about yourself to think that was what I was trying to say, then go ahead," she said.

He leaned forward even more so that he was right in front of her. "You knew exactly what you were suggesting when you said that."

She opened her mouth to argue, only to start laughing hysterically as he began to tickle her. In trying to push him away, she only succeeded in pulling him on top of her, and they rolled off the couch onto the floor. He twisted to take the brunt of the fall, and she ended up on top of him, their faces only centimeters apart.

She swallowed, conscious of his breath on her face. Their eyes were locked, and his seemed to be searching for something in her gaze. She was uncomfortably aware of his hard chest pressed against hers and the way his hands gripped her shoulders to keep her from hitting the ground, so she spoke in an attempt to mask her discomfort. "I, uh..." She scrambled off of him and stood up. "That was an accident."

He stood up, grinning. "Yeah, I bet it was." He tucked his hands into his pockets and started off toward his room, whistling. Just before he closed the door, he winked at her. "You were totally saying that you think that I'm attractive." With that, he shut the door. She stood there staring at it for a moment before shaking her head and going into her own room.

The following morning, she awoke to a grinning Serena bouncing on the end of the bed. Rose sat up and rubbed her eyes, only to glare at Serena a moment later. "What have I told you about waking me up?" She raised her voice. "Malfoy, I'm going to kill you for letting her in here this early!"

Scorpius responded a moment later, his voice muffled by the door in between them. "I thought you should hear this, so I let her in. If you still feel like killing me afterward, you can, but I don't think you will."

Rose made a face and then looked at Serena. "Okay, what is it?"

Serena's grin widened. "Guess what happened when I went down to the common room this morning."

"What?" Rose asked.

"A certain dark-haired somebody asked me to the ball," Serena said, beginning to bounce again.

Rose's eyes widened. "Aww, Rena, I'm so happy for you." She smiled. "I told you that somebody was going to ask you to go with them. How did he do it?"

"I went down to the common room after I got dressed because I was going to read for a bit, and he was sitting there with Lorcan and Al, and when he saw me, he said something to them and then came over, and then he asked me if I had a date to the ball, and when I said no, he asked if I'd go with him," Serena said.

Rose laughed. "I knew he was going to end up asking you." When Serena raised her eyebrows, Rose smirked. "I've been reliably informed that a certain unattached twin happens to fancy you."

Serena's mouth dropped, and she gaped at Rose for a moment before speaking. "You _what?"_

"Yeah, I was... talking to Scorpius last night, and he happened to mention it," Rose said.

"Why did you pause before you said talking?" Serena asked. "What were the two of you doing?"

"A certain idiot decided it would be a great idea to tickle me because I made a remark that he misconstrued to mean that I find him attractive," Rose said.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Serena asked. "Merlin, that boy is dumb."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose asked.

Serena shrugged. "Nothing. I just mean that he's a bit of an idiot, that's all."

"Well, that's definitely true," Rose said. "Give me a couple minutes to get dressed and brush my teeth, and then let's go down to breakfast."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Serena said.

Rose got out of bed, fetched a pair of jeans and a jumper, and then went into the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later feeling considerably more human, and after waving her wand to make her bed, she and Serena made their way down to the Great Hall.

Lorcan, Lysander, Al, Maddie, and Lily were already at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, along with a familiar if unexpected face.

"Dom!" Rose exclaimed. Dom stood up and held out her arms, a broad grin on her face. Rose hugged her and then took the seat to Dom's left. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

Dom chuckled. "I thought I'd stop by and pay a visit to Quidditch practice. I need to see how my legacy is getting on, after all."

"Of course you do," Rose said, shaking her head. "How's everything going with Portree?"

"Good," Dom said. "They finally took me off reserve, so I'll be starting every match in the upcoming season."

Rose gaped at her cousin for a moment. "You're going to _what?"_

Dom grinned. "Yeah, it's fantastic. I thought it was going to be another year or two, but apparently they've decided that I'm good enough now, so I'm going to be attempting to knock Liam off his broom the next time we play Puddlemere."

"Best of luck with that," Rose said. "You can't be here just because you wanted to tell us that and visit Quidditch practice though."

Dom laughed. "All right, you caught me. You three are the people I needed to see anyway. I trust you'll pass the news on to Hugo the next time you see him."

"Sure," Rose said. "What do you have to tell us?"

"Al, Lil?" Dom asked. When they turned to look at her, she nodded. "You'll be getting an official announcement any day now, but I was asked to come let you know seeing as I've been talking about how I wanted to come to watch practice for a while. Everyone's favorite unmarried couple got engaged a couple of days ago."

"Molly and Sam?" Lily asked. When Dom nodded, she clapped her hands together. "Oh, good! I've been waiting for this."

"We all have," Rose said. She exchanged a nod with Scorpius as he sat down across from her and then turned her attention back to the conversation at hand.

Al snickered. "How'd Uncle Percy react to the news?"

"Aunt Audrey had to dig up a Calming Draught for him, but he was all right," Dom said. "He's known it was coming, but I think he thought that Molly was going to be thirty before she ended up married."

"Why would he think that?" Lily asked. "She's been doing really well so far."

"I know," Dom said. "Only twenty-three and already working her way towards a position as a lawyer in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I dunno, Lil, I think Uncle Percy just wanted to believe that he had more time to get used to the idea that Molly isn't fifteen anymore."

"You'd think he would've realized that by now, but I guess he's had his hands full with Lucy, huh?" Rose asked.

"He probably kept thinking of Molly as his little girl because Lucy definitely isn't anymore," Dom said. "He likes Sam, so once he got over the initial shock, he was just fine, but the news took him a bit hard."

Rose shook her head. "Only Uncle Percy."

"Pass me the salt, would you, Rose?" Scorpius asked.

Rose passed him the salt shaker. Their fingers brushed as he took it, and she swallowed before smiling at Dom. "Sorry, what did you say? I missed it."


	13. Chapter Twelve

December 16th dawned cold, snowy, and incredibly important to a large percentage of the population of Hogwarts.

Rose woke up early to find that her bedroom was incredibly cold. She pulled on a heavy jumper (The previous year's Weasley jumper, to be more specific), and went out to the common room. It was empty, as Scorpius was still asleep, and she crossed to the window. Outside, the grounds were covered in a blanket of snow, and more fell as she watched. She could see Hagrid outside of his cabin taking care of Merlin knew what, and a few students who looked to be third-years were engaged in a snowball fight down by the lake. The sight of them made her smile slightly, as that had been herself, Al, Scorpius, and Alice a few years previous.

She turned away from the window. Inside the fireplace, flames blazed, warming the common room. She crossed to her bedroom door and opened it so that some of the heat would transfer. After picking up a book, she settled herself on the couch beneath a blanket and began to read. The only sounds were that of the fire crackling and the occasional turn of a page, so when she heard a door open, she turned to look in the direction of Scorpius's room.

He came out into the common room running his hand through his hair. His eyes were bleary, and she smiled at him as she patted the seat next to her. He took it, propping his feet up on the coffee table, and leaned his head against her shoulder.

"Are you tired or something?" she asked.

His eyes were closed when he spoke. "I shouldn't have scheduled practice for last night. It was a very, _very_ bad idea to spend three hours out on the pitch when it was freezing and also the night before our last day before the holidays."

She laughed softly and moved the blanket so that it covered him as well. "Now you know better and you won't do it again."

He nodded. "Oh, I'm definitely not doing that anymore. It was a horrible idea."

They were silent after that, his head resting on her shoulder and her attention on her book. His breathing evened out, and when Rose glanced at him, he was fast asleep. She smiled to herself and went back to reading. After a while, she looked at the clock. Enough time had passed that breakfast would be available in the Great Hall, so she shook Scorpius's shoulder gently.

He blinked slowly before focusing on her. "Why'd you wake me up?"

"It's time for breakfast," she said. "I could have stood up and let you fall over, but I figured that wouldn't be very nice, so I thought I'd wake you up instead."

He groaned and stretched his arms above his head, allowing his jumper to ride up a few inches in the process. "Your kindness is absolutely overwhelming." He lowered his arms and looked at her. "Shall we head down? I know how grumpy you get when you don't eat."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that you're the one with that issue, not me, but that sounds good."

He stood up and offered his hand to her. She stared at him for a moment before placing her hand in his and allowing him to pull her to her feet. He tucked his hands in his pockets as they left the common room, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"If they don't warm the castle up, this evening isn't going to be very pleasant," she said. "I don't know about everyone else, but I don't fancy wearing a dress when it's this cold out, even if it's floor-length. I'll freeze."

Scorpius chuckled. "I'm sure they're working on it. Once they get all the fires going, it'll warm up. You were up awfully early this morning. It was bound to be cold."

She wrinkled her nose and pulled the ends of her sleeves over her hands. "I'm fairly sure the only reason why I woke up as early as I did is because I was freezing. It'll be nice to get home to a properly heated environment."

"What do you expect from Hogwarts?" Scorpius asked. "It's a castle, and it's old. It's bound to be drafty."

"We're wizards," Rose said. "There should be a solution to that by now."

"You're just looking for a reason to complain about it at this point, aren't you?" he asked.

She lifted her chin. "It's cold and I'm uncomfortable. I need to take out my displeasure on something, so I'm going to take it out on how cold the castle is."

He grinned. "As long as you aren't taking it out on me."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Scorp," she said. "Merlin, I should've grabbed another jumper. This is too cold."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. The heat from his body overwhelmed her, and she gaped at him for a moment before pressing her cheek against his arm and wrapping one of her arms around his waist. They continued down to the Great Hall in that fashion, and as the corridors began to grow warmer, he removed his arm. She stepped away from him and pulled her sleeves over her hands again as they passed through the doors into the Great Hall.

Without looking at him, she spoke. "Thanks."

She knew he nodded. "You're welcome. I'll see you in a few, I need to go say good morning to Ari."

He departed for the Hufflepuff table as she made her way to her usual seat. Alice was the only one from their year at the table when Rose sat down. Her dark hair was messy, and she wore a large jumper that Rose recognized as Declan's. Rose stared at Alice for a moment before speaking.

"I didn't realize how long your hair had gotten."

Alice pushed her hair over her shoulder and shrugged. "All I know is that when I made the choice to grow out my bob fifth year, it was a good one." Her eyes narrowed. "You look perturbed. What's going on?"

Rose blinked rapidly. "I do?" She shook her head and yawned. "I woke up earlier than I wanted to because I was cold, that's all. Can you past me the sausages?"

Alice passed her the platter. "Are you excited for tonight?"

Rose made a face. "Honestly, Ali, at this point I'm just waiting for it to be over. It would probably be more fun if I hadn't been involved in the planning process, but I was, so..."

Alice nodded and took a sip of water. "I understand. You've seen the backside of all of it, so it loses some of the allure."

"Exactly," Rose said. She reached for the toast. "So, is Declan definitely coming?"

"He wrote me last night to say that he was, so unless something changes at the absolute last minute, he should be here," Alice said. "He's meant to be coming at six tonight. I told Al that he and the lads are responsible for keeping Declan entertained until I'm ready, but we'll see how well that goes."

"If you want, you can come to my dormitory to get ready," Rose said. "Helena and Serena too. I doubt Scorp will mind, and even if he does, I still say that you can."

"What will I not mind?" Scorpius sat down beside her and reached across her to grab the plate of sausages.

She smacked his arm. "That was rude. As for what you shouldn't mind, I just told Alice that she, Serena, and Helena can come to the dormitory to get ready. Do you care?"

He put a few sausages on his plate and shrugged. "I'll just go to Gryffindor Tower. It's not like it's going to take any of us that long to get ready."

Alice smiled. "Good, you can help Al entertain Declan then."

"I haven't seen the kid in ages," Scorpius said. "I'd be glad to."

A few moments later, they were joined by Serena and Helena. Serena's hair was swept up into a messy ponytail, and she reached for the toast as soon as she sat down next to Rose. "Please tell me that I'm not the only one panicking about this evening."

"Why are you panicking?" Rose asked. "You've got a date, you like him, your dress is gorgeous..."

Serena nodded. "Exactly! What am I going to do if it doesn't go well tonight? I don't want him to hate me because he didn't have a good time."

"Well, first of all, Lysander would never hate you," Rose said. "I don't know if he has it in him to hate anyone. Second, the more you worry about it, the more likely it is that things are going to go wrong. Relax and try to have a good time, how about that? It won't do you any harm, and you'll be able to enjoy yourself."

Serena sighed, her shoulders slumping. "You're probably right. I wish it were easier to not be so nervous about this, but I really don't know how."

"Just be happy that you're going."

Rose looked at Helena in surprise. The dark-haired girl took a bite from her porridge as Rose gaped at her. "You all right there, Hel? You haven't said much of anything recently."

Helena took another bite of porridge and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine, if a bit cold."

Rose elbowed Scorpius in the side. "See, I told you." She grinned. "Well, Hel, it's nice to hear your voice again."

"I was beginning to think she didn't have one," Serena said.

Helena rolled her eyes. "I just haven't been feeling too good lately, that's all."

"Helena's talking?"

Al sat down across from Scorpius and reached for the kippers. Helena sighed. "Is everyone going to make a big deal out of this?"

"You've just been suspiciously quiet lately, that's all," Rose said. She turned her gaze on Al. "I think you need a comb, or Maddie won't want to be seen in public with you."

He attempted to flatten his hair, lifted his shoulders, and let them fall. "She loves me, ridiculous hair and all. I do curse Dad for passing this on to me sometimes though."

"Let's be honest, Al wouldn't be Al without the insanity of his hair," Alice said. "It's just part of his charm."

"I'm glad you think I'm charming, Alice," Al said. "Remind me when Declan's meant to be getting here, would you?"

"He's going to be here at six," Alice said. "Which should translate to around a quarter past, since you know he's late to pretty much everything."

Al laughed. "Yeah, punctuality never really was his strong point. It wasn't James's either, for that matter."

Rose shook her head. "Let's be honest, most teenage boys can't count regularly being on time amongst their virtues."

"That's a very good point," Alice said.

"I'm on time," Scorpius said. When Rose raised her eyebrows, he amended his statement. "Usually."

"That's why I said most," Rose said.

"Well, at least you aren't lumping all of us in there," Scorpius said.

Rose grinned. "I do my best not to generalize completely. It's always wise to allow some room for error."

"The lot of you are mental," Helena said.

"She's talking _and_ she has opinions," Rose said. "Merlin, Hel, did someone feed you a potion or something?"

"I'm telling you, I'm fine," Helena said. "I swear."

"Rose?"

Rose turned around to see Kacey. Her strawberry blonde hair fell in loose waves around her face, coming to a stop at her collarbones, and she had a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. As she smiled, her green eyes crinkled.

"Hey, Kacey," Rose said. "What can I do for you?"

"Drew's not feeling well, so she's spending the morning in bed in the hopes that she'll feel well enough for the ball, so she asked me to let the appropriate parties know that Joanna wrote her to say that the band would be arriving at around half-past five," Kacey said. "I've already told Professor Longbottom, and he said he'd tell you, but I told him that I could and that it wasn't a problem."

"Thank you," Rose said. "I appreciate it." She glanced around the table. "Would you like to join us, since Drew isn't going to be down for breakfast?"

Kacey smiled again. "Oh, Rose, that would be great." She sat down across from Helena and looked at Alice. "Alice, would you mind passing me the kippers?"

Alice grinned and passed the plate across the table. "I must say, it's certainly a change of pace to see you away from Drew."

Kacey laughed as she put some kippers on her plate. "We've known each other since before we started school, seeing as she lives down the street from me and was the one to introduce me to the wizarding world first, so we're just used to being around each other most of the time. I could say the same for you lot. You're just as bad as we are."

"I prefer to think that I only spend this much time around these idiots because I'm related to a number of them, or might as well be," Rose said.

"I used to try to make excuses like that, but I've given up," Kacey said. "Say, Helena, do you by any chance have those notes for the Herbology project? I know we already turned it in, but I'd like to have a copy of them."

Helena nodded. "I've got them up in the dormitory, we can duplicate them after breakfast."

"Excellent," Kacey said. She looked at Scorpius and Al. "I saw that you were having practice yesterday. Ready for your match against Slytherin when we come back from the holidays?"

Al shrugged. "I'm ready. I don't know about the rest of the team. We're going to end up playing a bit while we're home, so I won't exactly be out of practice when we get back."

"Al's right," Scorpius said. "Everybody's on top of their game, and we'll be seeing each other over the holidays, so we're going to have plenty of time to play together. In all honesty, I shouldn't have called practice yesterday. It was too cold, but I wanted to get one last official run on the pitch before we all go home for three weeks."

"Well, I can't wait for the match," Kacey said. "Announcing is always fun, but there's something so wonderful about announcing matches that involve a rivalry. The whole thing gets so much more intense."

Scorpius chuckled. "While I don't think that Gryffindor and Slytherin feel the urge to try to kill each other anymore, the rivalry on the pitch is definitely still there. I agree with you. Playing them always requires an extra level of effort and skill because we know that they're going to be playing their absolute best. It's the healthiest sort of rivalry that I think you'll find in this setting."

"It's going to be a great match to watch," Kacey said.

"It definitely is," Scorpius said. "Red, you'll have to come to that one."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Do I have to?"

"You know you love Quidditch," Scorpius said.

Rose sighed. "Fine, I'll come."

"I didn't have to beg you this time," Scorpius said, his eyes wide. "Progress is being made."

She elbowed him. "Oh, shut it, you."

He pressed his hand to the spot where her elbow had touched him. "I'm so abused."

"That's not going to work on me," she said. "I know you've been hit by Bludgers. I'm nothing in comparison."

"Damn," he said, lowering his hand. "I was hoping it would make you feel bad."

"My capacity for feeling bad is extremely limited when it comes to you," Rose said.

Kacey giggled. "I should spend more time around all of you. You two are funny."

Alice shook her head. "They're only funny in the beginning. Once you're used to it, you begin to wonder why you bother associating with them."

"Alice's only reason is that she's known me forever," Rose said. "Otherwise she'd be long gone."

"I'll just have to look for an excuse to spend more time around you lot," Kacey said. "I want to put that theory to the test."

"No, you really don't," Serena said. "Isn't that right, Hel?"

Helena shrugged. "Sure."

"And now we're back to incredibly quiet Helena," Rose said. "And to think I thought that we'd made it past this."

Helena threw her wadded up napkin at Rose, who caught it and laughed. They were joined by the rest of their friends shortly after, and by the end of breakfast, Kacey was taking part in the conversations as easily as if she had known them for her entire life. Of course, her incredibly warm and bubbly personality helped, but Rose had never seen anyone transition into another group of people as smoothly as Kacey did.

Guy caught up with Rose as she left the Great Hall. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Are you excited about the ball?" When she opened her mouth, he held up a finger. "Don't answer that. I know you're tired of ball plans. I just thought I'd ask."

She grinned. "You know me too well." A moment later, she sighed. "I mean, I'm excited, but I'm also not. Does that make any sense?"

He chuckled. "Enough for me to understand what you're getting at, yeah. What time do you want me to come up to the dormitory?"

"I'll probably be ready at about quarter 'til seven," Rose said. "I want to make sure that we're down at the Great Hall before everyone else, just so that if I'm needed for anything, I'll be there."

He nodded. "Head Girl duties. I understand. What are you going to do until then?"

"Pack, probably," she said, making a face. "I want to make sure that everything's all ready to go for tomorrow so that I'm not running around in the morning trying to find what I need to take home with me for the holidays."

"Logical," he said. "I should probably do the same, much as I don't want to."

"When are you going to be back?" she asked.

"The day before we come back to school," he said. "My parents see no point in going to visit my aunt and uncle in America if we don't spend all of our time with them, so our flight leaves tomorrow evening and we'll be back at the beginning of January."

"I'd just take a Portkey, if I were you," Rose said.

He shrugged. "My entire family's Muggle except for a few of us, so planes it is."

"I don't envy you for how long you're going to have to sit there," she said.

He laughed. "I've done it before. It's not that bad."

"I'll take your word for it," she said.

They parted at the fifth floor corridor, and she continued up another staircase to the sixth. The dormitory was empty when she entered it, and she went straight into her room to begin packing. It didn't take her long to extricate the tiny trunk her mother had given her out of her closet and murmur a charm to restore it to its full, holiday ready size. She rummaged through her drawers, trunk, and closet for the clothes and books that she wanted to take home with her, only to pause at the sight of a familiar item of clothing.

She marched out into the common room, jumper in hand. Scorpius was sitting on the couch with a piece of parchment in his lap and a quill in his hand. As she watched, he scribbled something down on the parchment and then bit his lip. She moved to stand in front of him, placing her free hand on her hip. He looked at her in confusion.

"What's this?" she asked, holding out the jumper.

His brow furrowed as he looked at it. "My jumper?"

"Why do I have it?" she asked. "Shouldn't it be in with your things?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Red, I leant that to you two weeks ago because you were cold, and you never gave it back to me."

"Oh," she said, rubbing the back of her neck with her hand. "Right. Do you want it?"

He shrugged. "Just keep it, it'll save me from having to offer you one the next time you need it."

She bundled the jumper up in her arms. "You sure?"

"Well, you don't really seem like you're going to let go of it, so yeah, I'm sure," he said, a small smile on his face. "Keep it, Red. I've got plenty more where that one came from."

She nodded. "Okay."

With that, she went back into her room and continued to pack, but not before placing his jumper inside of a drawer on top of all of her other ones.

Five o'clock that afternoon found Serena, Alice, and Helena in Rose's bedroom hanging up their dresses. Scorpius stepped inside the room as Rose ran a brush through her hair. "I'm heading over to Gryffindor Tower now, so I'll see you down there."

"Sounds good," she said. "See you."

He winked at her and left. Serena shook her head. "I don't think I'm ever going to understand the relationship that the two of you have, Rose."

Rose snorted. "I barely understand it myself most of the time, so I'm not surprised."

"Just give it a little while and then it'll all make perfect sense," Alice said.

Rose turned around to look at Alice, her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

Alice gave a one-shouldered shrug. "I think it's on you to figure it out. Don't worry, you'll get it eventually, I promise."

"If I don't get it by the end of the year, you'd better tell me what you mean," Rose said.

Alice laughed. "Oh, Rose, I don't think you need to worry about that, but okay. Whatever you say."

They took turns in the shower after that, and after doing her own, Serena started on everyone's hair and makeup. Rose had insisted that she could do it herself, but Serena had wanted to have a bit of fun, and none of them were about to deny her the opportunity (It helped that they knew that she was an ace at those sort of things, so they weren't really losing anything in the process).

When Serena finished with Alice, her hair had been fixed into an elaborate chignon at the base of her neck, and carefully-done makeup framed her brown eyes. She put on her dress as Serena moved on to Rose. It was an elaborate emerald-green floor length number with beaded detailing on the waistline. Her earrings matched the color of the dress perfectly, and a carefully fixed emerald hairpin finished off the look.

Fifteen minutes later, Serena had twisted Rose's hair into a beautiful mass of curls at the nape of her neck, with a few carefully selected ringlets framing her face. Silver eye makeup was finished off with a perfect black cat-eye, making Rose's blue eyes the focal point of her face. As Serena did Helena's makeup, Rose put on her dress. Looking back on it, Rose assumed her mother must have known that plans for a Yule ball were in the works, as they had bought the dress that summer on a brief trip to Italy. Like Alice's dress, it was floor-length, but it was a silver-grey color. It had lace cap sleeves, and the lace continued along the neckline and the back of the dress, which was open and cut rather low. She put in her earrings, which were delicate sapphire-studded snowflakes that had been a gift from her parents at Christmas the previous year.

As Helena pulled on her dress, which was dark blue, floor length chiffon, Serena got her own out of the garment bag it was kept in. It was gold, and it had an open back similar to Rose's, with only a thin strip of fabric across the top keeping the dress from falling open. She looked in the mirror that hung over Rose's dresser as she put in her earrings, and Rose sighed. "You look really nice, Rena." As she spoke, Helena stood up and crossed the room to the window.

"Do you think so?" Serena asked, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress. "Do you think that Lysander will like it?"

"Why are you so bloody worried about it?"

That caused Rose, Alice, and Serena to whip around to stare at Helena, who was gripping the windowsill so tightly that her knuckles were white. Serena swallowed. "Helena, I—"

"You what?" Helena asked. "You're gorgeous, Serena. There's absolutely no chance in hell that he won't think you look beautiful, and at least he knows that you exist." Her voice fell on the last part of her sentence, and when she finished speaking, she sank to the floor, her shoulders shaking.

Rose crossed the room to wrap her arm around Helena's shoulders and help the taller girl to her feet. Once they reached the bed, Rose pulled Helena down to sit on the edge. Helena was crying, and it was only the magical nature of the makeup that kept it from running down her face.

"What brought this on?" Rose asked. "Does this have to do with why you've been acting so strange for the last few weeks?"

Helena took a deep, shuddering breath. "You p-promise you w-won't react b-badly?"

Serena sat down on Helena's other side and rested her hand on Helena's shoulder. "Hel, we're your friends. Of course we're going to support you, no matter what's going on."

Helena exhaled loudly. "I h-haven’t liked anyone in a-ages and then I was partnered with K-Kacey in Potions the one day, and then we were p-partnered together in H-herbology, and she’s so sweet and I..." She buried her face in her hands.

Rose hugged Helena tightly. Serena did the same, and after a moment, Alice joined the hug as well. When Rose spoke, her voice was muffled by Helena's hair. "You could've told us."

“I just thought it would make things weird, since we live with her and all,” Helena said as they all pulled away.

“ _I_ don’t live with her,” Rose said, grinning. “Now, if you fancied Scorpius, then we might have a problem, but seeing as that’s not what’s happening…”

Helena laughed, though there were still tear tracks on her cheeks. "Thanks, Rose."

"She's right," Serena said. "Merlin, Hel, I didn't realize that my panicking over Lysander was bothering you so much. You should've said something. I'd have shut up about it."

Helena shook her head. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. It's just... It's really hard, because she's never going to like me like that. She's going with Connor Tremlett. She'd never look at me twice."

"You don't know that," Alice said. "She seemed pretty interested this morning. You'll notice that she took the seat right across from you at breakfast, and she said that Dad offered to be the one to tell Rose about the band, but she did it instead. She didn't have to do that."

"Yeah, but that's Kacey," Helena said. "She's too nice for her own good sometimes."

Alice rolled her eyes. "I think you're forgetting who my dad is. He looks for every excuse he can get to talk to us while we're at school. She probably had to fight him for it."

Helena smiled slightly. "I guess you're right."

Alice shrugged. "If anybody would be right about my dad, it'd be me or my mum. Cole's too much like him to be objective."

"Come on, Hel, let me fix your makeup, and then we can go meet the guys," Serena said. "Don't completely disregard the idea that Kacey might like you too, all right? But for tonight, just focus on having a good time with all of us. You know Trent's going to be completely ridiculous, so there's no way you're not going to have fun with him."

Helena nodded, smiling again. "Did I ever tell you lot that I fancied him like mad fifth year?"

Rose's eyes widened. "No, you neglected to mention that detail."

"I did," Helena said. "I daydreamed about him asking me out. Of course, I don't feel that way about him anymore, but him asking me to the ball is like something out of one of those classroom musings."

"It's perfect, then," Alice said.

Serena touched up Helena's makeup, and then they departed for Gryffindor Tower to meet the boys. Not long after they left, there was a knock at the door, and Rose opened it to reveal Guy, who wore full dress robes. His eyes widened when he saw her. "You look beautiful."

She smiled. "Thank you. You look rather nice yourself."

He offered her his arm, and after a brief chuckle, she took it. They made their way down to the Great Hall. Scorpius and Ariadne stood in front of the doors, which were closed. Like Guy, Scorpius wore dress robes, while Ariadne's blonde hair was done in perfect curls that fell over her floor-length, strapless blue dress.

"Hi Rose," she said, smiling.

Rose smiled in return. "Hi, Ariadne. So they're still not letting us in there?"

"We've got another ten minutes before the doors are meant to open, and remember they mentioned that there was no chance they'd be opening early at dinner the other night, so it wouldn't do any good to come down here before they opened?" Scorpius asked.

"Yeah, I guess I forgot that part," Rose said. "Say, did you—" Neville approached them, and she stopped speaking to smile at him. "Hi, Uncle Nev—Professor Longbottom."

He nodded and smiled at her. "Hello, Miss Weasley." He turned in the direction of Scorpius and inclined his head. "Mister Malfoy. The Headmistress has sent me to inform you that it would be most appreciated if the two of you would lead the first dance."

"I don't see why not," Rose said. "Guy, is that—"

Neville cut her off. "No, Miss Weasley, you misunderstand me. The Headmistress would like the Head Boy and Girl to dance together in order to begin the ball."

"Oh," Rose said, her eyes widening. "Guy, do you mind?" He shrugged. "Ariadne?"

"I mean, if the Headmistress is asking..." Ariadne said.

"It's settled, then," Neville said. "I'll come tell you when it's time."

With that, he departed. Rose looked at Guy. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"I'll just dance with the lovely Miss Melville," Guy said. "That is, if it's all right with you, Ariadne."

Ariadne giggled. "It's fine with me."

They engaged in small talk as more students filed down the stairs towards the doors. At seven o'clock exactly, they swung open, and Rose and Scorpius led the way inside. It didn't take long for the Great Hall to fill with students, though they left clear the dance floor in front of the platform where the band sat. As soon as it seemed as though no more people could fit within the room, Neville approached.

"It's time," he said, looking at Rose and Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded and bowed to Rose. He held his hand out when he straightened. She laughed and took it after curtsying, allowing him to lead her out onto the dance floor. Neville's voice filled the room a moment later. "It is my honor to present your Head students, who will lead us in the first dance."

The band struck up a waltz. Rose had been schooled in the art of the dance due to the family Christmas party, but she was pleasantly surprised to find out that Scorpius was as good as, if not better, than she was. In a slightly less pleasing manner, she was painfully aware of his hand on her hip. His fingers brushed the skin of her back through the lace, and she felt as though the heat was searing patterns into her skin. His hand held hers with a surprising amount of care, and the closeness of their bodies was something she couldn’t help but focus on.

He leaned his head down so that his mouth was by her ear as they danced. "I didn't want to say it earlier, what with our significant others around, but I do believe you might be the most gorgeous person in the room tonight."

Her cheeks burned. "Scorpius!"

"What?" he asked. "It's true."

His hand moved to the small of her back as Neville led Hannah out onto the dance floor. Rose swallowed. "You can't say things like that unless you're saying them to your girlfriend, you prat."

He chuckled. "I pay you a compliment, and you call me a prat. I see how it is." He shook his head. "Don't worry, Red, I'm only saying what everyone is thinking. Even Ari made a comment to me about how stunning you look tonight."

She ducked her head. "Well, thank you, then."

His voice was so warm that she had to meet his gaze. "It's my pleasure."

They danced in silence after that, and the only thing that let Rose know the song had ended was that they had stopped moving. Her eyes remained locked on his, and he lifted her hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles. No sooner had he lowered it did Guy and Ariadne approach.

"Shall we trade?" Guy asked.

Scorpius nodded. Guy took Rose's hand as Scorpius took Ariadne's, and they parted ways.

Despite the fact that she danced with Guy for the remainder of the night, the only thing Rose could think about was the feeling of Scorpius's hand pressed delicately against the bare skin of her back, and the way his lips felt against her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the fun starts.
> 
> I hope you guys like the chapter, and thank you for all the comments and kudos. They mean a lot. 
> 
> Until next week x


	14. Chapter Thirteen

The room Rose was standing in the Wednesday after her return home was large and comfortably furnished. A queen-sized platform bed took up the majority of the wall adjacent to the door, its dark grey covered headboard providing a perfect backdrop for the silver and blue pillows that adorned it. On either side of the bed was a nightstand with a lamp. The walls were painted a shade of silvery-blue so pale it was almost white under bright lighting, and large colonial windows on the outside wall allowed plenty of natural light to enter the room. Pale blue curtains the same shade as the pillows decorated the windows, and a comforter of the same color covered the bed, a dark grey blanket folded across the foot of it. A dark dresser sat against the wall opposite the foot of the bed, and beside it was two doors, one to the bathroom and another that opened into the closet.

In the corner between the closet door and the windows, a full-length mirror rested. In the adjacent corner by the bed, there was a wing-backed armchair of the same shade as the bed frame. On the wall that held the door to the hallway, there was a large antique desk of the same dark wood as the dresser, as well as a matching chair and bookshelves. Only the Gryffindor tie hanging from the hook beside the door and the poster bearing a lion's head above the dresser gave any sign that the room belonged to an extremely passionate Hogwarts student.

Of course, Rose had absolutely no concern as to how perfect her room was, or how perfect she looked in it (Her mother had told her that the blue and grey really brought out her hair and her eyes when they'd redecorated the room two years previous, but that wasn't important at the moment). She was busily throwing item after item of clothing out of her closet. They landed on the bed, on the carpet, the dresser, the mirror—all over the room, really. Every so often, she would pause to eye an item of clothing, only to throw it over her shoulder a moment later. The door opened, and it was only an incredibly quick reflex that prevented Hermione from being hit in the face with a pale yellow jumper. She caught it, folded it, and set it on Rose's bed. Unlike the images from the Hogwarts years that Rose had seen of her mother, Hermione looked the part of a Department Head for the Ministry. Her bushy hair was pulled back into a twist (though it did threaten to spring free from its pins at every possible moment), and she wore neat, perfectly pressed robes.

"Is everything all right, dear?"

"Hmm?" Rose asked, still throwing clothes out of her closet.

Hermione walked over to her, put a hand on her shoulder, and pulled her away from the closet to sit on the bed. "I asked if you were all right." She gestured around the room with the hand that wasn't resting on Rose's shoulder. "This really isn't like you, Rosie."

Rose looked around the room at all of the clothes strewn about. She gave a quick shake of her head, her eyes widening. "Oh, Merlin, I wasn't paying any attention at all." She sighed. "Don't worry, Mum, I'll clean it up. I'm just trying to decide what I should take with me to Helena's. I know I could take what I brought home with me from school, but..."

"But you've been wearing it since September and you have all of these clothes here," Hermione finished. "I understand." She looked around at the mess of clothes, stood up, and made a brief circuit around the room. When she sat back down beside Rose, she held a pale blue jumper with a v-neck, a long-sleeved black shirt of a similar cut, and a cable-knit gold jumper. "What about these?"

Rose picked each one up, looking at them carefully. She settled them into her lap and nodded. "I must've missed them when I was going through everything. I'll just throw in a few pairs of jeans and I'll be good."

Hermione smoothed her hand over Rose's hair. Rose had left it down, a rare occurrence. "You've been acting awfully strange since you got home. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Rose's mind flashed to a hand on her bare back and warm breath on her ear, but she shook her head. "No, I'll... I'll sort it out."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "If you're sure." She smiled a moment later. "I must say, while I'm sorry that we're not going to get to meet this boyfriend of yours over the holidays, I'm glad that you'll be spending time with your friends. Ginny asked that I inform you that you're all invited to come over to the house on Thursday for an informal dinner. Evidently Al wants to see all of you before the parties ensue and he's forced to play host as well as cousin."

"I'll talk to the girls about it," Rose said. "We'll probably go, at least for a little bit. Serena will want to see Lysander."

"Ah, yes," Hermione said. She patted Rose's shoulder. "It'll all be fine, dear. Just pack and try to enjoy yourself while you're there, all right? When are you leaving?"

Rose looked at the clock that sat on top of the hutch of her desk. It read thirty-five minutes past one. "I should have left five minutes ago, so as soon as I'm done packing, probably."

"Make sure that you say goodbye to your father and me before you leave," Hermione said as she stood up.

"I will," Rose said. "Don't worry."

Hermione smiled at her and left the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Rose looked at it for a moment before turning back to her clothes. She put the jumpers Hermione had found into a bag along with a few pairs of jeans and a black skirt, which was just for preparedness' sake. After adding a pair of flats and the necessities to the bag, she closed it, and then waved her wand. The clothes that were scattered around the room flew into the closet and dresser. As she moved to pick up her coat from where it was draped over the arm of the chair by her bed, a picture on the nightstand caught her eye.

It had been taken at Victoire's wedding over the summer. Squished into the photograph were Al, Lorcan, Lily, Alice, Declan, Maddie, Scorpius, and Rose. As Rose watched the picture, photograph Scorpius made a face at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him, only for them to laugh at each other before the picture began to loop again from the beginning. Their arms were around each other's shoulders, and they looked utterly at ease together. A moment later, Rose shook her head.

"You've got a boyfriend, you dolt," she muttered to herself. "Why are you acting like this?"

She slung her coat over her arm, picked up her bag, and left her room, pulling the door shut behind her. When she went downstairs, her parents were seated in the living room. Ron was reading _The Daily Prophet_ (Rose knew he was focused on Aunt Ginny's Quidditch column for news about the Cannons), and Hermione had a large stack of parchment on her lap that could only have been a case file. They both looked up as Rose came to a halt in front of them.

"I'm going to head over to Helena's now," Rose said. "I'll see you on Friday evening."

"Say hello to Ginny for me, if you wouldn't mind," Ron said. "Have fun, Rosie."

"Goodbye, dear," Hermione said. "You cleaned up in your room, right?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I did. Everything's back where it belongs."

"Good," Hermione said. "Enjoy yourself."

Rose gave each of her parents a one-armed hug, shouted a goodbye to Hugo down the staircase to the basement, and stepped outside. She was shivering as soon as she walked through the doorway, and she immediately broke into a jog on the path. As soon as she was outside of the gate, she turned on the spot, only to reappear on a quiet country road with snow falling around her. She walked up the path in front of her and knocked on the door of the house. Within moments, it opened to reveal Helena.

She smiled. "Come on in, Rose."

Rose walked past her into the house. Like most homes in that area, it was an old farmhouse. Exposed beams ran across the ceiling, and the floor was old, solid wood. Rose followed Helena up the stairs to her bedroom. As it was in Rose's room, there was a lot of blue, but rather than using grey as an accent color, Helena had gone for a dark brown. A large rug covered the majority of the floor, and the ceiling sloped down over the headboard of the bed. They had barely set foot in the room when Rose was tackled by Serena.

Rose laughed and returned Serena's hug. "You need to let me go, or this isn't going to work out very well."

Serena stepped back and made a face. She sat down cross-legged on Helena's bed as Rose moved her coat and bag to the corner by the door. "You're late."

"Evidently not as late as Alice, though," Rose said, just in time for a knock to echo through the house.

"That'd be her, I bet," Helena said. "I'll be right back."

She left the room, and Rose shook her head. "Merlin, I forgot how much more that girl talks when we're at her house."

"It's just one of her Helena quirks," Serena said. "How was it being home?"

"Well, seeing as I was only home for about two days, I don't have much to say about it," Rose said. When Serena rolled her eyes, Rose grinned. "It was pretty good. Mum and Dad fussed over me and Hugo for a bit on Sunday, but once they got over having us back, it was pretty normal. Mum's convinced something's up with me. This morning was the sixteenth time in the last four days that she's asked if I was all right."

"I mean, you were acting a bit strange on Sunday morning, but I chalked it up to the fact that we were all going home for the holidays," Serena said.

Rose nodded, crossing her fingers behind her back in the hopes that she wouldn't blush. "That about sums it up, yeah."

Serena raised her eyebrows and then nodded. "If you say so." A moment later, she began to bounce up and down on the bed. "Oh, guess what!"

"What?" Rose asked. "Whatever it is, it must be important. I haven't seen you this excited in ages."

"Guess who wrote me about five hours after I got home on Sunday?" Serena asked.

Rose laughed and sat down beside Serena. "I can guess, but go ahead and tell me anyway."

"Lysander did," Serena said, a wide smile on her face. "He said that we should spend some time together over the holidays so that we don't go three weeks without seeing each other."

"As if you would," Rose said. "You'll see him at the Christmas party, and the New Year's party, and he'll definitely be at Al's on Thursday."

"What's this about Al's on Thursday?"

Helena walked through the door, Alice behind her. After a quick round of hugs, Rose answered Helena's question. "Oh, apparently Al wants the lot of us to come over to his house on Thursday for dinner so that we can spend some time being ridiculous. Apparently he doesn't want the parties to be the only time we see him before we get back to school. Well, I suppose I should say you, because he'll be at the family dinners at the Burrow and whatnot, but I was instructed to pass on the message, so consider it done."

"I'm up for it," Alice said as she dropped her things by Rose's. "How about you lot?"

Helena shrugged. "Might as well."

Serena nodded, a smile on her face. "As if I'm going to pass up any chance to see Lysander."

They all looked at Rose. She made a face and shrugged. "It's fine with me."

"So it's settled, then," Helena said. "We'll go over to Al's on Thursday for dinner."

"Sounds like a plan," Rose said.

A few hours later, they were sprawled out across Helena's bed and the bed that Alice had managed to conjure in the emptiest corner of the room, all somewhat exhausted from an afternoon filled with laughter and a snowball fight. Serena rolled onto her back from her stomach and glanced at Helena. "So, how are you holding up?"

Helena yawned. "All right, mostly. It still bothers me a bit, but I saw her on the platform before I went home on Sunday, and we did talk for a bit, so there's that. I don't know, really. I'm just trying to take every day as it comes right now."

"That's all you really can do," Rose said. She was lying on her back, her eyes tracing the grain in the beams of the ceiling, and she didn't look at anyone as she spoke.

"What about you?" Alice asked. "Guy's in America practically until we go back to school."

"I mean, he didn't really have a ton of choice in the matter," Rose said. "He needs to go see his family, and I'm not about to stop him just because I want him to meet my parents. Anyway, I don't need to have him around every minute of every day, so I'm not too concerned."

"You don't miss him at all?" Serena asked. "Three weeks is a long time."

Rose sighed. "I mean, I do, I just..." She tore her gaze from the ceiling to look at her friends. "I do like him a lot, but I always said that I wasn't going to date anyone at Hogwarts, and while I might have broken that, I don't think I'll be breaking my statement that I'm not going to end up married to anyone I date at Hogwarts anytime soon. Three weeks is a long time, yeah, but considering that we probably won't be together at the end of the summer, it doesn't matter that much to me. I'm going to enjoy dating him while it lasts, and then I'll move on with my life. We have fun together, but I just don't see us going anywhere long-term."

"So why stay with him then?" Serena asked.

Rose rolled onto her stomach. "As I said, we have fun together. I do like spending time with him, and he's wonderful, but... Ali, you know how you feel when you look at Declan? Or even when you just think of him?" Alice nodded, going misty-eyed as she smiled. "That look on your face and that feeling you get? I just don't get that when I think about him. I feel nice when I think about him, but I just don't feel like there's anything there. You have to have a fire to start with if you're going to keep it burning, and all we've got is a spark and no tinder to add to it."

"I guess that makes sense," Serena said.

Rose shrugged. "Besides, I'm only seventeen, and unlike Alice, I have absolutely no idea who I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with, nor am I worried about it, so I'm just going to let you guys panic about that and enjoy having a nice boyfriend while it lasts."

"That makes plenty of sense," Helena said. "There's no point in wasting your emotional energy on worrying about something if you like where it is and you're okay with where it's probably going."

"Exactly," Rose said. "Now, can we please talk about something else?"

"You can tell us what Scorpius said to you at the ball to make you go bright red," Serena said, grinning.

Rose groaned. "Please tell me Guy didn't see that."

Alice shook her head. "He was dancing with Ariadne and they seemed to be pretty focused on their conversation, so he missed it entirely. As we're your best mates, though, we notice these things."

"What did he say?" Serena asked. "I've been dying to know ever since I saw the two of you."

Rose bit her lip for a moment before speaking. "Supposedly he was just repeating what everyone else was thinking."

"And what was that?" Serena asked.

"Supposedly I looked stunning and he felt that he needed to tell me that," Rose said, wrinkling her nose. "He has a girlfriend. I don't know why he would say something like that to me."

She missed Alice rolling her eyes as Serena giggled. "Merlin, Rose, you didn't see the two of you. If everyone else in that room didn't know better, they'd probably think that the two of you were together. The whole thing just looked so natural."

"It only looked that way because we both know how to waltz and he enjoys making me feel uncomfortable," Rose said. "If either of us had two left feet, it would have been a different story." She looked at Alice. "In the interest of getting the subject off of me, how was it having Declan back at school? I didn't see the two of you much."

Alice smiled. "It was really lovely. I always wish he were still with us, but I never quite realize how much until he comes back around for a bit. He said he's going to try to make the first Quidditch match after the holidays, so hopefully I'm going to see him then." She rolled over. "It could be worse. At least I see him whenever we go to Hogsmeade. I can't imagine not seeing him at all unless I'm at home."

"I can't imagine being in that serious of a relationship when I was fifteen," Rose said. "I don't know how you did it, Ali."

"I've known him for ages, and I think I always fancied him a little bit," Alice said. "And then in fifth year he was dating that girl from Ravenclaw... What was her name?"

"Jocelyn," Helena said. "Jocelyn Cotter."

"I'm always so thankful for your perfect memory, Hel," Alice said. "Yeah, he was dating Jocelyn, and I started to realize that I hated the idea of him being with anybody but me, and we started talking more after they split up, and then all of a sudden he was asking me out and saying that he'd fancied me for ages so I said yes without even thinking about it and we've just kind of been together ever since."

"Your story is just as good as Teddy and Victoire's is," Serena said. "I wish I had something that nice."

"You and Lysander are going to fall together perfectly," Alice said.

Rose chuckled. "Yeah, and just think, you'll be Lily's sister-in-law."

"So you think that she and Lorcan are going to get married, then?" Serena asked.

"I mean, I don't know for certain, but I'd guess that's more likely than not," Rose said. "They get into little arguments every now and then, but he's always kept an eye out for her since the first day she set foot in Hogwarts, even without James asking him to do it. They got on really well before she even started school too, so it just makes sense. I can't really see him ending up with anyone else. I'm sure she could, and I know plenty of boys fancy her, but she isn't interested in anyone but Lorcan either."

"At this rate, your parents are going to end up having some sort of relationship with every single one of their friends from their school days," Serena said.

Rose grinned. "Yeah, I know."

Alice laughed. "That's what happens when all of your kids have grown up together and know each other better than pretty much anyone else." She stretched her leg so that she could poke Rose in the side with her foot. "Isn't that right, Rose?"

"Yeah, yeah, you know all of my painful childhood memories, I know," Rose said. "I also know yours, so there's absolutely no chance of you being safe or being able to blackmail me."

Alice sighed. "I figured as much."

The following afternoon, Rose pulled on a pair of jeans and the gold jumper her mother had found, as well as the boots she'd worn when she arrived at Helena's. At Serena's insistence, she left her hair loose, and it was bright against her black coat as they left the house. Rather than taking the Floo to the Potter residence, they had elected to Apparate even though it meant walking up the incredibly long drive to the front door of the manor. Snowflakes stuck to Rose's hair as she departed from the street in front of Helena's house to in front of the gates that protected Potter Manor.

She rested her hand on the spot where the two sides of the gate met, and as soon as she felt the enchantment grow warm under her fingers, the gates swung open. Serena, Alice, and Helena began to follow her up the drive, Serena shaking her head. "I'll never get over watching you do that."

"It's a pretty nifty bit of magic," Rose said. "Having the gate keyed to recognize members of the appropriate blood. Weasleys, Potters, Scamanders, and Longbottoms can open those gates just by touching them." She grinned at Alice. "Ali's kind enough to let me be the one to open them because she knows how much I enjoy it."

Alice shook her head and laughed. "I swear, Rose, half the reason why you always Apparate here is because you want to have an excuse to open those gates."

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't true, so yes, it is." Rose tucked her hands into her pockets as they continued up the drive, the house coming into view.

It was never as beautiful as it was when it was covered in snow, even during the late spring and early summer when the flowers were blooming and the grass was perfectly green. Rose had heard the story many times, the story of how after the second war, Harry had considered restoring the cottage in Godric's Hollow, but later decided that he should leave it as it was. Instead, he and Ginny had moved into Potter Manor with Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville. The house had been perfectly preserved by several enchantments, and while they had changed some things about it over the years, the most important always remained: it was James Potter's childhood home, and it had housed Sirius Black and Remus Lupin for a while as well. Harry would never admit it, but his children, nieces, and nephews all knew that part of the reason why he hadn't minded moving into the manor was because it reminded him of a number of people who had been family to him, by actions if not by blood.

"I always forget how much I love this view," Alice said, breaking through Rose's reverie. "Al, Lily, and James are so lucky to live in a house like this."

Rose's eyes widened. "Oh, Merlin, I forgot about James."

"What do you mean, you forgot about me?" The four girls turned around to see a lanky young man with messy black hair lounging on a broomstick behind them. He grinned and jumped down from it, plucking it out of the air to rest it on his shoulder as he threw his free arm around Rose. "Rosie, I don't know how you could forget about me. It's impossible."

She rolled her eyes, but the laughter in her tone told them all that she wasn't serious. "I just meant that I forgot that you'd be home, not that I forgot you. For some reason it always slips my mind that you come home for the winter holidays instead of staying in your flat."

"If you shared your flat with two Finnigans and a Weasley, you'd come home too," James said. "It's especially bad because Declan never shuts up about Alice over here."

Alice grinned. "I'd say that I'm sorry that it causes you so much displeasure, but I'm really not."

James chuckled. "I assumed as much." He left his arm around Rose's shoulders as he began to walk, forcing her to move along with him. "Does Al know you're here?"

"Well, I didn't exactly call ahead or anything," Rose said.

"Either way, he and the lads will be glad to see you," James said. "I know he meant for it to just be you lot tonight, but the gathering has sort of expanded over the last couple of days."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, it expanded?"

"You'll see," James said. When Rose turned to glare at him, he laughed. "That's not going to work on me, Rosie."

"Damn," she muttered. "This better not be a bad thing."

"It isn't."

"It isn't" turned out to be every single one of the seventh-year Gryffindors that they talked to, including Drew and Kacey (Much to Helena's joy), James, and all his friends, all crammed into one of the many living rooms on the ground floor after they ate dinner. Of course, that meant that Fred and Roxy were there as well, and they wasted no time in hugging Rose as tightly as they possibly could.

She coughed as they wrapped their arms around her. "Guys, I like to be able to breathe."

They released her almost immediately, their sheepish smiles identical. Roxy's smile widened after a moment. "Sorry, Rosie, I just haven't seen you in a while."

"I know," Rose said. "Meanwhile, I get to see this one pretty much every time I go into Hogsmeade, whether I want to or not." She poked Fred in the side.

He grinned at her. "Rosie, if you don't want to see me, you shouldn't come into the shop. It's just asking for it. I don't know why you bother coming, anyway, seeing as you never end up buying much of anything."

"The girls always want to get some things, so I go in for them," Rose said. "I know you remember how awful it is to stand outside in Hogsmeade when it's cold. Why do you think I'd voluntarily submit myself to that? You may be ridiculous, Freddie, but you're nowhere near as awful as having to stand outside for long periods of time."

Roxy laughed. "Oh, I've missed listening to the two of you argue. Tell me about your year, Rose."

Rose began to describe everything important that had happened thus far, and when she was finished, Fred and Roxy gave her a summary of their own lives. After that, nearly everyone went off to the kitchen to get some hot chocolate, leaving only Rose, Alice and Declan, who were very much wrapped up in each other, and Scorpius in the living room. His blond hair was unusually messy, and the shirt he had on beneath his jumper was unbuttoned at the collar. He smiled at her as he crossed the room to sit down on the couch beside her, and she smiled back at him, trying to ignore the way her hands were threatening to twist with each other in her lap.

"I have to say, I wasn't sure if you were going to be here tonight," he said, resting his arm on the back of the couch behind her shoulders.

Rose looked at him in confusion, leaning forward ever so slightly as she did so that his arm wouldn't touch her. "Why wouldn't I be here? Al's my cousin and one of my best mates, and I can understand why he would want to see the lot of us during something that isn't a party with a few hundred people."

Scorpius shrugged and turned his gaze in the direction of the fireplace. The flames were so hot that they had begun to burn blue, and Rose could feel their heat on the other side of the room. "You just weren't talking much on Sunday, that's all, and you barely even remembered to say goodbye to me before you met up with your parents and Apparated home."

"Oh," Rose said, looking down at her hands. She pressed her palms together. "Sorry about that. I've just had a lot on my mind recently, that's all."

He chuckled quietly. "I can imagine." As he stood, he spoke once more. "You look lovely tonight, Red."

She followed him as he walked away. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he was whistling a quiet and unidentifiable song. As soon as they passed what Rose knew would be an empty room, she pulled him into it, closing the door behind them. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, and she crossed her arms. "What the hell are you doing, Scorpius?"

His brow furrowed. "Rose, I don't have any idea what you're talking about, so if you could elaborate, I'd really appreciate it."

Her eyes narrowed. "I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, so please don't be stupid about it." When his only response was to stare at her blankly, she groaned. "What's with all the bloody compliments, Scorp? You shouldn't be saying things like that to me, you should be saying them to your girlfriend, who is currently not here. Seeing as she isn't here, you shouldn't be saying things like that."

He didn't say anything, instead tilting his head to look at her. She spun on her heel and walked out of the room, feeling his gaze on her back the whole way. Rather than continuing down the corridor and turning left to go into the kitchen, she went up one of the staircases that led to the second floor of the house. She hadn't gone far when she heard someone say her name.

When she turned around, Ginny was standing there. "Oh, Aunt Ginny, I'm sorry. Did I bother you?"

Ginny smiled and shook her head. "No, Rosie, you didn't." A scrutinizing expression came onto her face. "You look like you need to talk about something. Do you?"

Rose sighed. "Yes—no—I don't know, Aunt Ginny."

"Not knowing is usually the biggest sign that you need to get some words out," Ginny said. "Come on."

She led Rose down the hallway to the first room of the master suite. It held a few bookshelves, a fireplace, and two couches. Ginny sat down on one of them, gesturing for Rose to do the same.

"Where's Uncle Harry?" Rose asked as she looked around the room. The door to the bedroom was open, and she couldn't see anyone inside of the other room.

Ginny chuckled. "He went to talk to your dad about something a few hours ago, but knowing those two, they probably started talking about Quidditch and lost track of time. What's going on, Rosie?"

Rose looked at her hands and swallowed. "I don't really know what I'm doing right now."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"I just..." Rose took a deep breath. "Mum probably told you that I've been seeing someone for the last couple of months." When Ginny nodded, Rose continued. "Well, I like him quite a lot and have absolutely no interest in splitting up with him, or at least, I don't have any yet. I told the girls that I don't think we'll be together for very long after the year ends, but I still do like him a lot."

"I don't see what the problem is," Ginny said.

Rose swallowed. "The problem is that stupid bloody Scorpius Malfoy insists on complimenting me in ways that he should only be complimenting his girlfriend, and he does have one, and every time he touches me, I..."

"You what?" Ginny asked.

"I feel like it’s just meant to happen," Rose said, burying her face in her hands. "Aunt Ginny, I don't know what to do."

She could feel Ginny's arms wrap around her as she started to cry. Her aunt held her and stroked her hair as she sobbed, and when she finally quieted, Ginny spoke. "Well, I don't know exactly what to tell you."

Rose sat up and wiped her eyes. "That's all right, I just needed to say it." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm not about to tell the girls, because Rena will start asking why I'm still dating Guy, and why I haven't told Scorpius."

"Let me ask you, then," Ginny said. "Why are you still dating Guy, Rosie?"

Rose began to twist her fingers together. "Because he's fun, and stable, and being with him makes me happy because I don't feel like I have to think about everything."

"Then there's your answer," Ginny said. "I know how difficult it is to try to sort out your feelings for someone. You've heard the stories about how I was with your uncle for the first couple of years that I knew him." When Rose smiled slightly, Ginny grinned. "Your mum told me that it might help if I saw other people and got out of my shell a bit, and while I definitely had feelings for Harry for almost as long as I knew him, I still had feelings for every boy I dated while I was in school. If you're starting to realize that you fancy Scorpius, that's all right. People who say that you can't like multiple people at once are lying. If you like Guy enough to stay with him, you'll figure out how to deal with how you feel about Scorpius, if you even _feel_ anything. He's a very handsome boy, Rosie."

Rose groaned. "I know, and it makes the whole thing even worse," she said.

Ginny rested a comforting hand on her back. "You'll sort it out. Until you do, have fun with your friends and your cousins, and I'll see you on Sunday, all right?"

Rose nodded. "I'll try."

Ginny smiled. "Good. You'll figure it out, Rosie. Just be patient."

"I'm doing my best," Rose said. She hugged Ginny tightly. "Thank you."

Ginny hugged her back. "You're very welcome."

When Rose went down to the kitchen, Serena, Helena, and Alice were deep in conversation with Kacey and Drew. Rose approached them, suddenly feeling very worn down.

"You all right, Rose?" Serena asked, her gaze scrutinizing.

Rose shook her head, her shoulders slumping. "I'd like to go back to Helena's, if that's all right."

"Of course it is," Alice said. "Come on."

They said goodbye to Al and then made their way to the fireplace in the living room. As Rose stepped into the emerald green flames of the Floo, she caught sight of Scorpius entering the room. He opened his mouth to say something, but she had already said Helena's address and gone.

When the four girls were safely back in Helena's room in their pajamas, Serena looked at Rose. "What happened?"

Rose rolled so that she was facing the wall. When she spoke, her voice was quiet and even. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Needless to say, that was all they got out of her that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, I'm back again, and it's not Monday. Thank you so much for being patient with me x


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Somehow, Alice, Helena, and Serena had made an unspoken pact to not ask Rose about the events of the night at Al's, and as a result, they spent Friday doing their absolute best to take her mind off of things. They had a snowball fight, played with the puppy that Helena's parents had adopted to keep them company while she was away, and attempted to bake a cake (only to fail miserably). By the time Rose went home on Friday evening, she felt much more optimistic about the whole situation.

She awoke Sunday morning to the light streaming through a gap in her curtains. After yawning, she flicked her wand. The curtains flew open, and she stared at the ceiling. The previous day, she had taken care of some of the reading she had been meaning to do, and reorganized the entirety of her wardrobe. That day, however, she was going to have to go back to Al's for the annual Christmas party, and that meant facing a certain blond someone. She had done a lot of thinking since her conversation with Ginny, and she had come to the conclusion that she simply hadn't realized quite how attractive he was before because she hadn't spent anywhere near as much time with him. Every time she thought of Guy, she still felt incredibly nice, and she vowed to herself that she wasn't going to let one Scorpius Malfoy get in the way of her enjoying her seventh year. She could appreciate his looks without falling in love with him.

After rolling onto her stomach and then onto her back again, she got out of bed and put on the slippers that sat by her nightstand. The floorboards in the hallway creaked beneath her feet as she exited her room, and she could hear conversation coming from the kitchen as she went down the stairs. Following the conversation was the scent of bacon, and she made her way into the kitchen with increased enthusiasm.

When she entered, her parents and her brother were seated at the table by the window where they ate their informal meals. They had a large fancy dining room with full sets of dishes and a few million different types of cutlery through the archway at the opposite end of the kitchen, but they only used it for holidays and when they had people over. It was much simpler and much more comfortable to just eat in the kitchen, so that was what they did.

Ron smiled as Rose walked into the kitchen rubbing her eyes. "Well, look who's up."

"I thought you might be dead or something when you weren't awake by nine, but they told me I was being ridiculous," Hugo said.

Rose sat down in the chair beside him, ruffling his hair as she did. "Morning to you too, Hugh."

He stuck his tongue out at her as Hermione laughed. "Rosie, would you like some breakfast?"

"Please," Rose said, laying her head on the table. "I need food if I'm going to wake up."

Hermione went over to the counter as Ron spoke. "We do need you to be awake for the party tonight," he said.

Rose nodded, her head still on the table. "I know."

Hugo made a face. "Do I have to wear anything nice tonight?"

Hermione set a plate full of food in front of Rose. As she sat down, she said, "Yes, Hugo, you do. You know that. This isn't just a family Christmas. There are going to be Ministry officials there, and we all need to look our best. We aren't asking you to wear anything more than a collared shirt, a clean jumper, and some nice pants, so don’t look so put out."

Hugo wrinkled his nose as Rose grinned. "He wants to be able to wear his sweatpants for the rest of the day. Isn't that right, Hugo?"

"I'll wear something appropriate," Hugo said, looking at the table.

"Just as I thought," Hermione said. She looked at Rose. "I know you saw all of your friends a few days ago, but are you excited for the party?"

Rose took a bite from the piece of toast she held, chewed, and swallowed before speaking. "I am, yeah. I'm a bit more excited about seeing all of the family than I am about seeing the girls or anyone else, though. I see them practically every day for nine months of the year. I don't see Teddy and Vic or Dom or Molly anywhere near as much, and I like to know what's going on with them."

"How did Teddy and Vic do when they paid you a visit back in October?" Ron asked. When Rose raised her eyebrows, he smiled. "Teddy told me it went well, but I thought I might ask someone who actually took the class. I might be Deputy Head of the department in name more than anything else now, but I do care about what our Aurors get up to, especially when one of them is married to my niece."

Rose grinned and took a sip of water. "It was pretty good. The only people that really received any teaching that day were people who needed serious dueling pointers, but it was a fun class, and I think it gave everyone a good taste of what it feels like to be engaged in a legitimate duel where you don't know what the other person will do next."

"It's important to have that practice," Hermione said. "No matter what field you think you'll be going into or what the social conditions are like at the moment, you should always know how to respond in a fight." She looked at Ron. "We had to learn it as we went along, and I can't help but wonder if anything would have been different had we actually had a consistently competent Defense teacher during our school years."

Ron covered her hand with his. "We made it out, didn't we? Isn't that what matters?"

Hermione sighed. "I suppose." She looked at her two children, her eyes bright. "I'm sorry, you two, I just think about this a lot around Christmastime. Poor Teddy's going to have another Christmas without his parents—"

Ron cut her off. "Teddy's going to have another Christmas with a wife who loves him more than anything and a family who would stop the planet on its axis for him if they had to. A lot of bad things happened, ‘Mione, but that doesn't mean that they aren't any better now."

Rose nodded. "He's talked to me and Lil about how he might wish that he knew his parents, but he also knows that he was fortunate enough to grow up with a lot of people that love him."

"He could've had to grow up like Harry did," Ron said.

"I suppose," Hermione said. She wiped her eyes. "Oh, I'm just being silly. I know all of that, but it seems to slip my mind at Christmas for some reason."

"It's because it's family time at Christmas," Rose said. "It makes sense."

"Well, I've got a very good family, so I shouldn't be upset," Hermione said. She shook her head and smiled. "We're going to leave at six, so be ready then, all right?"

"Yeah," Rose said.

"Fine with me," Hugo said.

After breakfast, Rose went up to her bedroom. Hugo followed her up, and as she opened her closet door to look for something to wear for the night, he sat down on her bed. She turned around to look at him. "Can I help you with something, Hugh?"

He twisted his hands together, looking at the floor. "I sort of need your advice on something, but you have to promise that you aren't going to laugh at me."

"Why would I laugh at you?" Rose asked.

"You know Natalie?" Hugo asked. "Natalie Spencer?"

The girl's face immediately appeared in Rose's mind. She was a Ravenclaw, a fifth year just like Hugo, a Prefect, and a reserve Chaser for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Half Indian, half Welsh, she was beautiful, with tan skin, brown hair, and stunning amber eyes. Rose nodded. "Yeah, I know her. Why do you ask?"

"I guess she's friends with Verity or something, because she came around with us in Hogsmeade back in October, and I've started to fancy her," Hugo said. "She's supposed to be coming to the party tonight, and I want to spend time with her, but... Rose, I'm no good with girls."

Rose chuckled and crossed the room to sit down on the bed beside him. "Well, Natalie's a Prefect, and she's always seemed rather nice to me. You could just go up to her and start a conversation, but if you don't feel comfortable with that, ask her to dance. I'm sure Lily, Maddie, and Verity would be willing to help you out if you talked to them about it. I don't see her saying no to you, Hugh, so don't worry about it too much."

He sighed. "I know, it's just hard."

Rose's mind flashed to Scorpius's face, and then to Guy's. She shook her head and laid her hand on Hugo's shoulder. "Believe me, I know. You'll manage. She's a nice girl, and if she says no, it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of other girls in your year if it doesn't work out."

"I guess," he said. "What are you going to do during the party? I know Guy's not going to be there."

Rose shrugged. "I'll probably spend a bit of time with the girls, and I fully intend to catch up with all of our cousins. I'll sort something out. If I absolutely have to, I'll drag Trent out to dance or something. He doesn't have a girlfriend, so I don't need to worry about him being focused on someone else, and while we certainly aren't best mates like Al and I are, we get on well enough that I'm sure we can dance together for a bit without any issues."

"You always have everything figured out," Hugo said. "I really don't know how you do it."

She grinned. "Magic."

He rolled his eyes and stood up. "Yeah, I bet." His face softened a moment later. "Thanks."

"I'm your big sister," Rose said. "It's what I do." She made a shooing motion a moment later. "Now, I need to get dressed, so scram."

He left the room laughing. She turned back to her closet. Unfortunately, she hadn't grown much at all since third year, her height coming to a steady halt at five feet, four inches. As a result, she had accumulated plenty of clothing, and while she had gotten rid of things that weren't to her taste anymore, she still had more than she knew what to do with. It wasn't a big deal when it came to school, because she never took everything with her, but when she was home, the sheer amount of clothing made it somewhat difficult to choose outfits for anything other than lounging around the house.

Eventually she settled on a simple dark grey dress with long sleeves and a scoop neck. She paired it with blue heels that Serena had given to her for her birthday last year ("Rose, you need all the help you can get in the height department."), though she left them sitting by her dresser as she laid down on her bed with a book.

It seemed like no time had passed at all when her alarm went off to let her know that she needed to start doing her hair and makeup. Per Serena's recommendation that Friday, she ran her wand over her hair, and with the help of a charm, the waves smoothed out to hang down to her lower back. She pulled one side of her hair away from her face and clipped it up, and then put on the same earrings that she had worn to the Yule Ball, as well as the matching necklace. It didn't take much time at all for her to do her makeup, as all she did was touch up her dark circles and apply a bit of eyeliner and mascara. She shouldered the bag that held a change of clothes and slipped her shoes on.

When she went downstairs, her parents were standing in front of the fireplace in the living room, Hermione adjusting the collar of Ron's robe. She wore a burgundy dress and black heels, her hair clipped up. Ron didn't wear full dress robes, but he wore what Rose recognized as one of the nicer robes from his closet. They both smiled when they saw Rose.

"Oh, Rosie, you look lovely," Hermione said, hugging her. "Those earrings suit you."

"I really like them," Rose said. "I love your dress, Mum."

"Your Aunt Fleur insisted that I buy it," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Ginny and I went shopping with her and Audrey a few weeks ago, and when she saw this, she made me try it on."

"It's gorgeous, so I'm glad she did," Rose said. "Where's Hugo?"

"Right here."

She turned around. He wore a pair of black slacks, dress shoes, a white button down shirt, and an argyle jumper over the lot of it. Rose grinned. "Oh, Hugo, you look so proper. I just can't handle it."

He stuck his tongue out at her as he slid his hands into his pockets. "Are we going now?"

Hermione looked at the clock on the mantle. "Well, it is six." She picked up the ceramic bowl that held the Floo powder and held it out to Rose. "After you, dear."

Rose took a pinch of the silvery powder and stepped up to the fireplace. She flung the powder into the flames, stepped into them as soon as they turned emerald green, and shouted "POTTER MANOR!"

She appeared in the library fireplace, and she dusted the ash off of her skirt as she clambered out of it before dropping her bag by a chair. Two familiar couples stood a short distance away, and they turned to look at Rose as she walked away from the fireplace.

"Rosie!" Victoire held out her arms, a wide smile on her face. Her wedding ring gleamed on her finger, and the charm bracelet on her wrist caught the light as she moved.

Rose wasted no time in walking over to hug her cousin. She hugged Teddy, Molly, and Sam after that, and stepped back to look at all of them. Molly's engagement ring was the first thing she noticed, followed by the smile on her cousin's face. Sam had his arm wrapped around Molly, and he grinned at Rose.

Still smiling, Rose spoke. "I guess the first thing I should say is congratulations, isn't it?"

Molly's smile widened, if that was even possible. "Thank you, Rosie. I see that Dom got to you, didn't she?"

Rose nodded. "Yeah, she came to see me when she was at school and told me the news. I've been waiting for it, so I was really happy to hear about the two of you."

Sam chuckled. "I do believe that's the response we got from your entire family."

"Well, except for my dad," Molly said, rolling her eyes. "He was perfectly happy about it once he got over his initial shock.”

"So I heard," Rose said. "You had to have expected it, though."

"I did," Molly said. "Still, it was a bit strange to tell him that I was getting married, only to have him go completely white and speechless."

Victoire laughed, patting Molly on the back. "I'm fortunate in that my parents have always loved Teddy, so they weren't exactly displeased when we got engaged."

"Of course, they knew it was definitely coming, seeing as you had the promise ring," Teddy said. "And I did get a number of death threats from your father, but I kind of expected those. The ones from Dom, not so much."

Rose's eyes widened, and then she started laughing. "Dom gave you death threats? Why am I not surprised?"

"Because it's Dom, and that's just the sort of thing that she'd do," Victoire said. "You're almost halfway through your last year of school now, Rosie. How does it feel?"

Rose shrugged, flicking a speck of ash off of her arm. "It feels a bit strange, but I'm looking forward to what's going to come after school."

"Are you going to try to go straight into the Healer program once you're finished, or are you going to wait?" Molly asked.

"I don't know," Rose said. "I won't be able to go into the program until they get my N.E.W.T. scores, which won't be until close to the end of the summer anyway. I want to be able to move into my own flat sooner rather than later, and while I know that Mum and Dad would be perfectly happy to help me pay for it until I've got a job and all of that, I'd rather not ask that of them. I want to know that my flat is _my_ flat, if that makes any sense."

Teddy and Victoire exchanged a glance before Victoire spoke. "It makes perfect sense. We felt the same way. Speaking of flats..."

"What is it?" Molly asked.

"We were talking about it, and while we absolutely love the flat we're in, it feels a bit strange living somewhere that we don't own, especially now that we're married and we've got a steady income," Victoire said. "We've come to the conclusion that it's time for us to look for a flat that we can buy, at the very least, if not some sort of house."

"Oh, but I love your flat," Molly said.

Victoire smiled. "I know, and we do too, but it's time for us to move on. I do believe that Minerva would like to be able to get outside as well."

"How did Professor McGonagall react when she found out about that one?" Rose asked. "I don't believe you ever told me."

"She shook her head, muttered something that sounded an awful lot like 'Weasleys,' and then continued walking," Victoire said.

"I suppose she's used to pretty much everything from us now, isn't she?" Rose asked.

Teddy chuckled. "Between my dad and Harry's, Sirius, myself and Sam, and the lot of you, I think that she's seen just about everything that a member of our crowd could offer. I’d say she enjoys most of it though, honestly. So long as we aren't doing anyone any harm, the pranks always go over fairly well."

"Obviously, she has to give detention to anyone who gets caught, but provided you don't, she's not about to condemn you for it," Sam said. "And she's almost actively encouraging students to sneak down to Hogsmeade by leaving the One-Eyed Witch passageway open."

"It's an important part of the Hogwarts experience, and one that I'm sure she took part in while she was at school," Teddy said. "I can't say I blame her."

"I haven't done it, so I wouldn't know," Rose said.

Teddy's eyes widened. He gaped at her for a moment. "But Rose, you _have_ to. Promise me that you'll do it at least once before the year is out. I can't let one of my cousins graduate from Hogwarts without ever sneaking down to Hogsmeade. Merlin, even Tori and Molly did it."

"Fourth year, after you begged us for a good six months," Victoire said, laughing. "He is right though, Rosie. You should experience it, just because. It's a different experience, being in Hogsmeade without the rest of the school."

Rose sighed. "It seems like everyone is hell-bent on me getting down there, so I don't see how I'll make it through the rest of the year without doing it. I'm not making any promises, though."

"I'll make sure Al is sending me regular updates," Teddy said. "You've got to do it."

"You'd think that as a member of the law enforcement, you'd discourage rule-breaking, but evidently not," Rose said.

Teddy grinned. "It's the Marauder blood in me, Rosie."

"Apparently," Rose said.

"It kept school interesting," Victoire said. "I'm not about to complain. You lot missed out on it, but it was a lot of fun. Right, Molls?"

Molly nodded. "It definitely was."

Rose opened her mouth to respond, only to shut it when someone placed their arm around her shoulders. She glanced over to see Al grinning at her. He looked at all of them. "Much as I hate to disrupt this little party, I do believe it might do Rosie some good to come and talk to people her own age, so I'm going to be removing her from the situation."

Rose smacked him lightly in the stomach. "Al, I'm in the middle of a conversation."

Victoire laughed. "It's all right, Rosie. We'll see you later. It's not like the lot of us won't be here until after midnight, right?"

"Fair enough," Rose said. She looked at Al. "All right, lead on, you complete idiot."

He kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the library. "Rose, I can't believe you would be so cruel to your favorite cousin."

"First of all, I don't have a favorite cousin because I love all of you equally even though some of you are absolutely mad," Rose said. "Second of all, I know that's not the worst thing anyone has ever said to you, and third, I didn't even hit you that hard, so your argument is invalid."

"Outfoxed again, and by my own cousin," Al said.

"I'm twelve days older than you are," Rose said. "It grants me incredible amounts of wisdom that you can't even hope to possess."

"For another twelve days, anyway," Al said.

They walked into the ballroom, and Rose paused. Tall four-person tables covered in white cloths and surrounded by stools were all around the edges of the room, and in each corner, there was a perfectly decorated Christmas tree. Fairy lights twinkled all around the room, and as she watched, a couple paused in one of the doorways beneath the mistletoe to kiss. She looked at Al. "Every year I think that I'm going to be completely used to this by now, and every year, your parents manage to prove me wrong."

"Thank Aunt Fleur," Al said. "She helped Mum organize it this year."

"I might have to, seeing as it looks wonderful," Rose said.

They continued across the room to where their friends stood. Serena wore a dress of a deep maroon color. Alice's was a pale gold, Helena wore a grey dress similar to Rose's, and Lily wore a green sweater with a black skirt. Al, Lysander, Lorcan, Aidan, and Declan were dressed much in the same way as Hugo, and each took turns hugging her when she stopped walking.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked as she stepped back from Declan's hug.

"Trent, Maddie, and Beck are on their way and they should be here any minute," Al said. "Scorpius popped over on the Floo about an hour ago to let me know that he'll be here, but he's probably going to be a bit late, because he and his mum are trying to convince his dad to come tonight."

"And Kacey and Drew are coming in a bit as well," Helena said. "They wrote me yesterday and mentioned that they'd definitely be here."

Rose nodded. She raised her eyebrows a moment later. "Scorpius's dad might come?"

"Yeah," Al said, running his hand through his hair and sighing. "My parents have been inviting their whole family ever since first year, and it took a couple years for his mum to come, but ever since she's gotten to know my parents and yours, she's come. They've been trying to convince his dad since fifth year and it hasn't worked so far. I know that our parents don't exactly love him, but they've been trying to mend that broken bridge for years and he hasn't exactly made it easy for them to do that seeing as he won't really see them. Dad says it's a shame thing, but I dunno."

"You'd think he wouldn't be ashamed, given what he's done to try to make reparations," Rose said, shaking her head. "All of those donations to St. Mungo's, and to the rebuild fund for Hogwarts, and moving out of Malfoy Manor to get away from all of the history, and everything else."

"Don't forget about how hard he worked with your mum to get the Muggleborn Protection Act passed after the war," Al said. "I don't know, I guess he just feels like he did too many bad things during the war to ever really make up for it."

Rose sighed. "I hope he realizes that people care more about what he does now than what he did then."

"Me too, but that's something he's just going to have to figure out on his own," Al said. He shook his head a moment later. "This is a bit too serious of a conversation for Christmas Eve."

"You're telling me," Rose said. "This morning my mum was on about how she feels so bad for Teddy and everything else."

"I guess people are just in that mood right now," Al said. He grinned a moment later. "Please tell me that you brought a change of clothes for the snowball fight."

"Of course I did," Rose said. "I'm not about to miss out on that. It's been my favorite part of the Christmas party ever since Vic and Teddy told us that we could join it."

"It's a little bit terrifying, if you ask me," Serena said. "We end up with what, fifteen people on a team?"

"Something like that," Al said. "Between Sam and Teddy, Vic's friends from her year, all the cousins, and the lot of us, there's a lot of people to split up."

"I still say we should do a four-way fight sometime, but that would be too hard to organize," Rose said. "Merlin knows this one is bad enough."

"I'll say," Al said. "Getting all of us in one place so that we can divide up the teams and get out there is an ordeal in and of itself."

"It really is," Rose said. She nodded in the direction of the doorway they'd come through. "Hey Al, look."

Al turned around to look where she had gestured. Coming through the doorway was Scorpius (in a blue jumper that suited his hair and eyes perfectly, much to Rose's dismay), a tall, slender woman with dark hair and grey eyes, and a man who looked exactly like Scorpius, if only twenty-some years older.

Al's eyes widened. "Merlin, they actually did it." He looked at Rose. "Come on."

"What?" she asked as he grabbed her wrist and tugged her away from their friends. "Why me?"

"Because we're his mates and I know he's talked to his parents about you before," Al said. "And if Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's daughter is seen talking to him as though there's absolutely nothing wrong, everyone else will feel a whole lot more comfortable about it than they do right now."

Rose groaned. "Oh, fine."

When they reached the Malfoys, Scorpius and Al exchanged a hug, and then Scorpius hugged Rose. As he did, he whispered, "Thank you for coming over here."

She squeezed his shoulder gently before he released her. Al smiled at Draco and Astoria. Astoria seemed pleased to see him, as she drew him into a hug almost immediately. He turned to Draco once she released him. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco nodded, his jaw tight. "Al."

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy," Rose said, holding out her hand. "I'm Rose Weasley. I don't know if Scorpius has mentioned me, but—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence before Astoria hugged her. "Oh, dear, we've heard plenty about you. It's so lovely to finally meet you!" She stepped back and gave Rose a once-over. "Oh, Scorpius was right. You're absolutely stunning, dear."

Rose flushed. "Uh, thank you." She turned to Draco and held out her hand again. "Sir."

He inclined his head, shaking her hand. His grip was firm, his silver eyes searching her face. Whatever he saw, he seemed to like it, for his jaw relaxed and his posture softened. "Rose."

They were saved from any further conversation as Ginny and Harry approached. Ginny embraced Astoria without pause, and then turned to Draco. Her expression was entirely neutral and her voice warm as she said, "Draco, how lovely to see you here."

He nodded. Harry held out his hand. "I'm pleased to see that you finally accepted our invitation. Now, Hermione was telling me about the act that you've both been working on. Is it..."

Their conversation faded as Rose, Scorpius, and Al walked away. Once they were out of earshot, Scorpius exhaled loudly. "Oh Merlin, thank both of you."

"You're welcome, but why are you thanking us?" Rose asked.

He tucked his hands in his pockets, sighing. "It took us a good three hours to convince Dad that he should come, and he was adamant that he would leave if it seemed like nobody wanted him here. He knows Al, but I think having you come over to say hello to him and my mother made it pretty clear to him that everyone knows he's not who he was during the war. He's not about to admit it, seeing as it's a matter of pride, but he worries about it a lot. It's gotten easier since Lucius died, but I know he still thinks about it every time he leaves the house."

"We do what we can, mate," Al said. His eyes lit up a moment later. "I see Maddie. You'll have to excuse me."

He was off before either of them could say anything, and then Rose and Scorpius were left to stand in the ballroom together.

Rose looked down at her shoes, only to discover that the shade of blue was an exact match to Scorpius's jumper. She looked at him after a moment. "So, you told your mum that I'm stunning, did you?"

He flushed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. I know you don't want me to say things like that about you."

She shrugged. "I dunno, I've been thinking about it, and we're friends, so I guess it's okay. Friends compliment each other, don't they?"

He smiled slightly. "Yeah, they do. What do you say we go find the others?"

She nodded. "Might as well." They had barely walked three steps when she spoke again. "Wait, where's Ariadne?"

"She and her family went to Norway to visit some old friends of her parents, apparently," Scorpius said. "She'll be back the day before we go to school."

"It seems we're both without our usual dates, then," Rose said.

"Well, now I know who to dance with," Scorpius said, grinning.

Rose laughed. "You'll be saving me from a lot of awkwardness, that's for sure."

They joined the others, and for a while, all they did was talk. A bit after the music started, Scorpius and Rose went to dance. As at the Yule Ball, she was painfully aware of all the places he was touching her, but they carried on a conversation as she danced and it let her focus on something else.

All seemed to be going according to the usual schedule until just before they were meant to go change for the snowball fight. The song ended, but another one didn't start. Rose and Scorpius looked at each other uncertainly. One of his hands still clasped hers, the other against her waist, and her fingers curled against his shoulder as she looked to where the band sat. A moment later, the lead musician in the band spoke, his voice carrying around the ballroom. "If I could direct your attention over the Christmas tree by the windows..."

In the middle of the line of windows that lined the long side of the ballroom that was also the outside of the house was a huge Christmas tree, much larger than all the others around the room. Rose was conscious of Scorpius's hand resting on the small of her back as she turned to look at it. In front of the tree, there was a very familiar figure, as well as one that Rose recognized, albeit not as easily.

Seb sank down onto one knee and took Dom's hand. She was staring at him, her eyes wide, as he held out a small box and flipped it open. "Dominique Weasley, you've been beating me up for being an idiot for the last seven years, and I figured that it was time I did something to make sure you'd be doing that for the rest of my life, so would you please do me the honor of marrying me?"

She gaped at him for a moment and then punched him on the shoulder. "Of course I will, you prat."

The occupants of the ballroom laughed at that. He slid the ring onto her finger, pocketed the box, stood up, and kissed her to a round of loud applause from everyone there.

Rose sighed. Scorpius looked at her and raised his eyebrows. "Is everything all right?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm just so happy for them it's a bit ridiculous."

He chuckled, sliding his hand from the small of her back to the other side of her waist so that he was holding her against his side. Her hand moved to his back, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Yeah, it's definitely nice to see. What do you say, one more dance before we go change for the snowball fight?"

She nodded. "That sounds like a very good idea."

By the end of the night, to anyone who didn't know Rose Weasley well, it would seem that she and Scorpius had gone back to exactly what they had been before—two extremely close best mates.

To Rose, she was anything but less confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy twenty years of Harry Potter, everyone!
> 
> I'm not as hardcore into it as I used to be—much of the brain space that I used to devote to Harry Potter trivia has been filled with things like art history and useless facts about other things—but I'm still endlessly grateful for it and and all of the wonderful things (and people) that it's brought into my life. 
> 
> Until next time, everyone. Here's hoping it's next week x


	16. Chapter Fifteen

The days that passed in between Christmas and New Year's were incredibly relaxing for Rose. She attended the regular family dinner at the Burrow on the twenty-eighth, but aside from that, she remained at home in her pajamas for the majority of the time, reading or writing to Serena, who had apparently been kissed by Lysander at midnight at the party. Rose was incredibly happy for her best friend, and discussing Serena's relationship with Lysander allowed Rose to think about something other than how _right_ it had felt to dance with Scorpius for what had to have been two hours, if not more.

He'd written her after the party to inform her that his father had stayed for the entirety of it, and when they returned home, had spoken about how he might never _like_ Weasley, but he could certainly learn to tolerate him.

(As Scorpius wrote at the end of the letter, that meant that Draco Malfoy had come to the realization that he might actually be able to be friends with the people he had so disliked during his Hogwarts years. He'd never admit it, of course. It was a matter of principle. What mattered was that he was beginning to realize that things really had changed.)

(He also wrote that Astoria wanted to have Al and Rose over for dinner once the year ended, as Rose "seems like a lovely girl and [she'd] love to get to know her better." Never one to deny an invitation by a friend's parents, Rose wrote back to say that of course she would come over, provided she and Scorpius were still speaking at the end of the year.)

(He seemed to object to the idea that they wouldn't be.)

Of course, family dinner at the Burrow involved a lot of teasing of Dom, who gave everyone her customary glare which was immediately followed by a broad grin, and Seb, who bore it all with a good-natured smile on his face. Rose saw Dom fingering her wand when George made a few smart remarks about his niece marrying a Slytherin, but Seb countered them quickly and all was right with the Weasley cohort.

The morning of New Year's Eve found Rose getting dressed for yet another visit to the Burrow, this time for a family lunch. They would all see each other at the New Year's party that night, but her grandmother had insisted that the whole family should come by for some good old-fashioned bonding time, and Ron wasn't about to deny his mother, least of all over the holidays.

Rose put on a cream-colored sweater and a pair of maroon jeans, followed by her favorite pair of boots. They were ankle-high, made of a chestnut colored leather, and they had laces all the way up the front. As an afterthought, she pulled part of her hair back into a loose half-ponytail. She was standing in front of her mirror with her hands on her hips when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," she said. She turned around as the door opened to reveal Hugo, who wore jeans and a grey jumper. As he entered the room, her brow furrowed. "What's up?"

He rubbed the back of his neck as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Uh, I've been writing Natalie for the last few days, and I sort of asked her on a date for the next Hogsmeade visit, but I don't know what to do when we go."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Hugh, what are you going to do when I'm not around to give you advice?" When he shrugged, she shook her head. "You'd better figure that out. I'm not always going to be around to give you words of wisdom about your girl situations."

He sighed. "Rose, can you please just tell me what you think I should do? I'll deal with you not being around when it actually happens."

She laughed and sat down on her bed. "You could always ask her, you know. Personally, I happen to think that Madam Puddifoot's is overdone and overrated, so I'd stick to the Three Broomsticks when it comes to food. The Shrieking Shack tends to look quite lovely once there's snow on it, so you could take a walk up there. I dunno, Hugo, just ask her. You don't have to have everything planned out for it to be fun, and honestly, she'd probably appreciate it if you gave her the chance to have some input."

"That's really not that helpful at all," Hugo said.

"What can I say?" Rose asked. "You need to figure out how to do these things on your own. You could ask Lil, I'm sure she'd have plenty of advice for you. She's got loads more relationship experience than I do, so she'd probably be a better source than I am anyway."

"Yeah, but she isn't here," Hugo said. "It doesn't do me any good if I have to write her and wait for a response."

"You can wait for a response now," Rose said. "It's not like your date is in two hours, you know. Natalie's going to be at the party tonight, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's coming with Verity."

"That makes this really easy, then," Rose said. "You ask her to dance, and while you're dancing, you ask her what she'd like to do on your date. When she gives you her answer, you plan accordingly."

He wrinkled his nose. "Why do you always have to be so logical?"

She shrugged. "I was almost a Ravenclaw."

"I can see that," he said. "But thanks, I guess."

She ruffled his hair and grinned at him. "You come to me for advice, and I do my best to deliver." She looked down at his sweatpants. "Now, shouldn't you be getting ready for lunch?"

He groaned. "I hate this whole having-to-wear-normal-clothes thing. Why can't I have time to just sit around?"

"You've had it," Rose said. "Multiple days of it. Go change."

"Yes, Mother," he said.

He made a face at her as he left her room, and she rolled her eyes before slumping backwards onto the bed. Her legs hung over the edge, and she stretched her arms above her head. She had only been lying there for a few moments when Ron passed by her room.

He paused in the doorway and smiled at her. "Comfortable?"

She sat up with a groan. "Not really."

He came into the room and sat down beside her. "Are you enjoying the holidays, Rosie?"

She sighed and clasped her hands together in her lap. "It's all right, I guess."

"Only all right?"

She began to twist her fingers together as she spoke. "It's nice to be home, but I'm sort of at the point where I'd like to go back to school and just get the year over with, if that makes any sense. I know I'll have to wait to hear back from the Healer program and all of that once school ends, but that would be better than knowing that I have another six months worth of school to get through."

Ron chuckled. "I can't say I'm exactly familiar, seeing as I didn't go back to school for my seventh year."

She looked at him. "I forgot that you and Uncle Harry didn't go back after the war."

Ron stretched his arms out in front of him and then dropped them before speaking. "We didn't really see the point in going back. Your mother did, obviously, and for her it was the right decision, but for Harry and me, there were more important things to do. Kingsley was made Minister, and he offered Harry leadership of the Auror Department. Harry turned it down initially because he wanted more training, but we didn't exactly have to go through the usual application process. We became trainees, and then Aurors, and by the time you were born, he was head of the department, and I was assistant head. There wasn't any need for us to have our N.E.W.T.s."

"Sometimes I wish that I didn't need my N.E.W.T.s, but then I remember that the reason why you didn't need yours is one that most everyone would wish they never had," Rose said.

"It's true," Ron said. "I'd have taken a seventh year of school over all of the war, but we have to do our best with the situation we're given." He rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment. "Besides, Rosie, you're going to do incredibly well on all of your N.E.W.T.s and you'll be a shoe-in for the program. Don't worry about it too much, all right? Just try to enjoy yourself for the rest of the year. Getting out of Hogwarts can seem like the most appealing thing in the world, but there are going to be things about it that you're really going to miss once you're done."

"I know," Rose said. "I just... It's starting to drag a bit. I'm sure I'll miss it once I'm not there any longer, but until then..."

Ron smiled. "I know." He stood up. "It'll all be just fine, Rosie. Just hold on for a bit longer. We're going to leave for the Burrow in about ten minutes, so be ready, all right?"

"I already am," Rose said.

Ron clapped her on the shoulder and left the room. She sat there for a moment before getting up and crossing over to the mirror. It only took her a few moments to apply some mascara, and once she was done, she eyed her reflection. After nodding to herself, she pocketed her wand and made her way downstairs. She walked past her mother's office on the way to the staircase. The door was open. Hermione was sitting at her desk, a series of files and papers in front of her. As Rose watched, Hermione rifled through the papers and then sighed.

Rose stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame. "Is everything okay, Mum? We're leaving soon."

Hermione looked up and smiled. "Oh, everything's fine. I'm just trying to make sure that all of my papers are in order. We're working on a number of cases, along with an Act that we need Kingsley to sign, and to top it all off, Kieran Archibald and his wife have decided that they want a divorce. They're possible, but they're nowhere near as simple to organize in the Wizarding world as they are in the Muggle one."

"It sounds like you're awfully busy, then," Rose said.

"No more than usual," Hermione said. "It just feels like it all builds up when it's the holidays, that's all. Scorpius's father has been incredibly helpful to me and the rest of the office."

"So he's a good lawyer?" Rose asked.

Hermione nodded, looking back at the papers. "Draco is an excellent lawyer, not that I'm surprised. He always was good at keeping a straight face, at least to the public."

"Scorp said that he stills feels guilty about what happened," Rose said.

"I'm not surprised," Hermione said. "A lot of bad things happened at Malfoy Manor. I know the majority of it was due to Lucius, but the man got his entire family involved, and he never really dropped the pureblood ideals, even after the war. The dragon pox did everyone a favor."

Rose's eyes widened. "Mum!"

Hermione sighed. "I know it sounds awful, dear, but Lucius Malfoy wasn't a good man by any stretch of the imagination." Her hand moved to her forearm, and she rubbed it for a moment. "It's better for everyone that they distance themselves from their past. Draco's done many good things in the Ministry, and I know that Harry and I don't have any ill will towards him, but he'll always be a bit of a sore spot for your father. I don't know if everyone will ever really trust him again. Maybe if Scorpius..." She shook her head and smiled again. "Ignore me, dear. I'm just talking, that's all. Go downstairs. I'll be along in a moment."

Rose tilted her head and looked at her mother for a moment before shrugging. She went downstairs and sat down on the couch in the living room. Like every other room in the house, it was expertly decorated, with the entire room done in shades of tan, rust, and cream. On the mantle above the fireplace rested a series of frames. After staring at them, Rose stood up and crossed the room to have a closer look. She'd seen them before, obviously, but there was something so _nice_ about looking at old pictures.

One was a family portrait from just before she left for Hogwarts. They were all beaming at the camera. Ron and Hermione had their arms around each other. Rose and Hugo sat in front of them, and Ron rested his hand on Rose's shoulder. In the frame directly to the right of that one, there was a picture of Rose, Hugo, and Lily from Christmas two years previous. They were grinning at each other, their focus not on the camera at all. The next frame over had a _real_ family portrait that contained every member of the Weasley-Potter clan. They were all squeezed into the frame, the cousins around the edges squishing up against one another to try to fit into the picture. A few of them waved at the camera. The last frame on the mantle held a picture from when they'd all gone to France after fourth year. It was a picture of Rose, Al, and Scorpius, but it had been taken from behind. Rose stood in the middle, and each of the boys had an arm around her shoulders as she put hers around their waists. In the loop of the photograph, Rose threw back her head and laughed, Scorpius and Al turning to grin at each other a moment later. Rose smiled to herself as she looked at it.

"Reminiscing?"

She turned around to see her parents standing just inside the doorway to the living room, Hugo right behind them. Hermione was the one who had spoken.

Rose shrugged. "I just felt like looking at them, that's all. I haven't done it in a while."

Hermione moved to stand beside Rose, smiling when she looked at the picture from France. "I've always loved that picture. You and your boys."

Rose looked at the picture again and smiled. "Yeah, I guess they are, aren't they?"

"You and Al have always been close," Hermione said. "Ever since you were little."

Rose sighed. "We haven't spent as much time together this year as we used to. I'm always busy with Head duties, and he's got Quidditch."

"It happens," Hermione said. "You'll always be close, no matter what, and you're going to see him in a few minutes."

"I know," Rose said. "It'll be nice to see him without any of our friends running about. I love them, but it makes it a bit difficult to have family time."

"Speaking of family time, we should be going," Ron said. "Rose, would you care to go first?"

Rose laughed and took some Floo powder from the bowl that held it. She flung it into the fireplace, and as soon as the flames turned green, she stepped in and shouted "THE BURROW!"

She reappeared in a gloriously illogical house a few moments later. The kitchen was filled with all manner of cooking implements, each busily in the process of preparing something. A familiar figure presided over them, and as she climbed out of the fireplace, someone caught her in a hug. When she saw who it was, she laughed and hugged them in return.

"Hi, Grandpa," she said, rising on her toes to kiss Arthur's cheek. "Hi, Grandmum!"

Her grandmother turned to smile at her for a moment before returning her attention to the various bowls and pots that contained the afternoon's meal.

"Rosie," Arthur said, smiling at her. "How's school been treating you?"

"All right," Rose said. "I'm a bit anxious for it to be over, but it's been good so far."

Arthur nodded. "Good, good. Your cousins are in the living room, if you'd like to see them."

Rose smiled and hugged him again. "Thanks, Grandpa."

She went into the living room, only to discover that Arthur hadn't been joking when he said that her cousins were in the living room. It seemed like every young member of the Weasley-Potter clan was crammed into the space, along with Sam, Seb, Tara, a young man that Rose recognized as Josh Ginsworth, and Sarah Winters. Piled in the armchair by the fire were Lily and Roxy. Victoire, Molly, Sam, and Teddy were squeezed on the loveseat. Lucy, Josh, Dom, Seb, Fred, and Tara were on the couch. Albus sat on the floor with Louis, James, and Sarah. Rose grinned and went to join them on the floor in front of the living room fireplace.

"Well, if it isn't Rosie," James said, grinning. “Long time, no see.”

"You literally saw me a few days ago, you weirdo," Rose said. She smiled at Sarah. "Hey, Sarah."

Sarah smiled, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. "Hi, Rose!"

"What, don't I get a hello?" Louis asked.

Rose grinned at him. "No, of course you don't." She hugged him a moment later. "Hey Louis."

He nudged her with his shoulder. "Hey yourself."

Al looked at all of them and shook his head. "My entire family is weird."

"You say that like you aren't," Rose said.

Al shrugged. "I mean, I know I am, but I forget how strange the lot of you are until we're all in one room together."

"I'm not actually related to you, remember?" Sarah asked.

"Maybe not by blood, but you're going to end up married, so it doesn't really matter," Al said. "Everyone who ends up a part of this family gets corrupted in some way."

Sarah flushed and looked down as James punched his younger brother in the shoulder. "Shut it."

"I'm only saying what all of us know," Al said. "We all knew Teddy and Vic would get married, we know you and Sarah will, and we know that Lily and Lorcan are definitely going to end up married to each other too."

James shuddered. "I really don't want to think about my kid sister being married, thank you very much."

"I doubt she wants to think about it either," Rose said.

Al shook his head. "I know they've talked about it before. Lorcan told me. It's a bit odd, having your mate tell you about the conversations he has with your sister, but it means I hear about a lot of stuff that Lil would never tell me otherwise, so it's kind of a good thing."

Rose wrinkled her nose. "I hope to Merlin I never end up dating one of your mates. I don't think I'd want you to know about my relationship beyond what I choose to divulge to you."

"You say that like you think I'd want to know about your relationship beyond what you choose to tell me," Al said. "Lil is my sister, so I sort of want to know just in case. With you, you're my cousin, but you're also one of my best mates, and I don't expect the lot of you to tell me everything that happens."

"Something that I'm very happy about," Rose said. She looked at Louis. "How are things with Quinn going?"

"They're okay," Louis said, sighing. "I don't think we're going to last much longer, unfortunately."

"Oh, why?" Rose asked.

Louis shrugged. "She's busy with work all the time, and we don't see each other anywhere near as much as we'd like. I like Quinn a lot, she's great, but it's sort of difficult to have a relationship with someone when you never see each other. I think we'll still be mates, but I just don't see _us_ happening, not for much longer, anyway."

"That makes sense," Rose said. "Still, I'm sorry."

Louis gave a half-smile. "Thanks."

James groaned. "This is way too depressing for the holidays. Now, Rosie, I've been informed by Teddy that you still haven't snuck down to Hogsmeade."

Rose made a face. "Is everyone in this family going to hear about this?"

"It's a travesty, so yes," James said. He looked at Al. "Al, as the last of the Marauder legacy to go through Hogwarts, I expect you to get Rosie down to Hogsmeade before the end of the year, and when I say that, I mean when you're not meant to be down there. Got it?"

Al nodded. "Scorp and I have tried to get her down every year, but she always comes up with some excuse for why she can't manage it."

"I'm sorry, but as a Prefect and now as Head Girl, I feel like I'm disrespecting my position when I break rules," Rose said.

James rolled his eyes. "Teddy did it, Liam did it, Chelsea did it, Declan did it, Scorpius does it. It won't kill you, Rosie. It's a good bit of fun, and it's family tradition. You have to do it."

"I don't _have_ to do anything, James," Rose said.

"Oh, fine," James said. "You don't _have_ to sneak down to Hogsmeade, but you really ought to. Is that better?"

"A bit," Rose said. "I still don't know if I'll do it though."

James looked at Al. "Al, you have to convince her. You have to."

"I'll do my best," Al said. "Scorp and I will drag her kicking and screaming if we have to. She's not getting out of Hogwarts without ever experiencing the magic of Hogsmeade on a non-sanctioned weekend."

James clapped Al on the shoulder. "You're a good man, brother."

Al grinned. "I try."

Rose sighed. "I really don't know how I'm related to the lot of you. I really, really don't."

Louis raised his eyebrows. "Hey, I didn't get into much trouble while I was at school."

Rose waved her hand in his direction. "Yeah, I know. You're an exception."

"I'm glad," Louis said.

Their conversation continued in much the same manner for the duration of the afternoon. When it was finally time to eat, they piled around the tables that had been set up all through the kitchen, living room, and dining room, and Rose was able to spend a few hours in the company of her family. While she said that they were all mad, time with them was something that she treasured, and when she, Hugo, and their parents Flooed home so that they could get ready for the New Year's party at the Potter's, Rose had a wide smile on her face.

That smile was gone an hour later as she rummaged through the clothes in her closet and dresser. She couldn't seem to find the appropriate outfit for that night. Everything seemed fine until she actually tried the clothes on, and then it just didn't look quite right anymore. She laid aside skirts and blouses, jumpers, and dresses, seemingly unable to find anything that was just right.

She was about to give up hope and just wear the black skirt and blue sweater that she'd found first when she saw a tiny flash of cobalt at the back of her closet. After taking down a few hangers and rearranging a few dresses, she pulled out a beautiful blue dress. It had long sleeves, a high neckline, an open back, and the bodice and skirt were fitted, though not too tightly. She took off her jumper, bra, and jeans and pulled the dress on. The lightly padded bust eliminated the need for a bra, and the dress fit perfectly. She smoothed her hands over the skirt as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She shook her head at her ridiculousness a moment later and set about putting all of her clothes back in her closet and dresser. Once everything was properly organized and put away, she pulled out a pair of simple black high heels and set them beside her dresser. It didn't take her long to let her hair down and fix the messy waves so that they were sleek and shiny. She put on eyeliner, taking care to wing the ends, and added another coat of mascara to her lashes. Once that was finished, she put on a silver statement necklace that Serena had given her (Serena had cited that she'd "worn it one too many times" and nobody would notice that she'd had it first once Rose wore it). Ron called for her as she slipped her heels on, and she took one last look in the mirror before making her way downstairs.

"You look lovely, Rosie," Hermione said, smiling when Rose entered the living room. "I'd forgotten that we bought you that dress last year."

Rose looked down at her shoes. "Thanks, and so did I."

Ron passed around the bowl of Floo powder. This time, Rose was last to go, and when she appeared in the library of Potter Manor, it was empty save for three very familiar people.

"That necklace still looks better on you than it did on me," Serena said as Rose approached the girls. "You look great, Rose."

Rose grinned. "Thanks, Rena. You do too."

It was true. Serena wore a black dress, Alice a red one, and Helena wore a shimmery silver top and black skirt. Helena smiled at Rose. "You're here just in time."

"What for?" Rose asked.

Helena took a deep breath. "I'm going to talk to Kacey when we get back to school."

Rose's eyes widened. She hugged Helena a moment later. "Oh, Hel, that's great! What made you decide?"

"We've been writing each other a lot," Helena said. "Originally, I was writing to Drew too, but that conversation didn't last long. Kacey's been responding to every letter I send, and she's been so sweet the whole time that I figure even if she doesn't feel the same way, we'll be able to move past it."

"That's fantastic," Rose said. She grinned at Alice. "I'm surprised Declan isn't here right now."

Alice rolled her eyes and smiled. "He's with Aidan and their parents right now. He said he'd come and find me later. It's a real shame that Guy isn't here. Who are you going to kiss at midnight?"

"No one," Rose said, shrugging. "I've lasted this long without a midnight kiss on New Year's Eve, haven't I?"

"It's just unfortunate that your boyfriend isn't here on one of the perfect socially acceptable snogging occasions," Alice said.

"I'm sure I'll live," Rose said. She laughed. "Are you going to find Lysander at midnight, Rena?"

Serena flushed. "Maybe."

"Do it," Alice said. "I bet he'll kiss you again."

"It would be awfully nice," Serena said. "We've been writing each other so much since the holidays started, and I saw him in Diagon Alley the other day."

"Why were you in Diagon Alley?" Rose asked.

Serena shrugged. "I needed to buy more ink and I didn't feel like waiting until the next Hogsmeade visit."

Rose nodded. "I see. Continue."

Serena smiled. "Well, we ran into each other because he was looking for some book for his dad, and we ended up going to the Leaky Cauldron and talking for almost three hours. It was wonderful."

"It sounds like it," Rose said. "Aw, Rena, I'm really happy for you. He's awfully sweet, and he'll be great for you."

"I know," Serena said, her smile widening. "And Kacey will be fantastic for Hel."

"Definitely," Rose said. "Oh, I'm really happy for everyone right now. Things seem to be working themselves out, don't they?"

"So it would seem," Alice said.

"What do you say we head out to the ballroom?" Rose asked. "We're not going to do ourselves any favors if we're standing in here all night."

"True," Serena said. "Lead on, Head Girl."

Rose rolled her eyes, but led the way to the ballroom nonetheless. She was halfway across the room to where Al stood with Scorpius, Maddie, Lily, and Lorcan when someone said her name. She motioned for Serena, Helena, and Alice to continue walking as she looked for the source.

When she turned, Astoria was standing there with Draco. Astoria had a wide smile on her face. "How are you, Rose?"

Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Rose found herself smiling. "I'm fantastic, thank you. How are you, Mrs. Malfoy?"

Astoria waved her hand. "Call me Astoria, dear. I'm quite wonderful, thank you for asking. It's lovely to see you here."

"Likewise," Rose said. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco nodded. "Hello, Rose."

Astoria stepped closer to Rose, and when she spoke, her voice was hushed. "Keep an eye on Scorpius for me tonight, would you? I feel bad that Ariadne isn't here with him."

"Uh, I guess I can," Rose said. She shook her head and smiled a moment later. "I'll do my best."

Astoria smiled and nodded. "Good."

"I should probably go say hi to Al," Rose said. "It was nice to see you though."

Astoria nodded again. Draco inclined his head. Rose smiled at them both before finishing the walk to where her friends stood. As she came to a halt in between Scorpius and Al, Scorpius lowered his head so his mouth was by her ear. "What did my parents want?"

She looked at him. He had a confused expression on his face. She chuckled. "Your mum just wanted to say hello, that's all."

"With her, that's never the only thing," Scorpius said. When Rose's eyes widened, he laughed. "Oh, I don't mean that in a bad way. Mum just always has something to say to everyone, but if you insist that that's the only thing she wanted, then I'll take your word for it."

"A wise decision," Rose said.

They talked with the others for a while, and then Scorpius led Rose out to dance as he had on Christmas. His hand was warm on the small of her back, and her fingers threaded perfectly with his as they moved in small circles. He smiled at her after a while, and she raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry," he said. "You just look lovely, that's all."

She smiled. "You look rather nice yourself."

It was true. He wore a white collared shirt beneath a grey jumper, and a pair of black slacks and dress shoes. His blond hair was slightly ruffled, though that was to be expected given that he seemed to have acquired Al's (and James's, and by extension Harry and Harry's father's) tendency to run his fingers through his hair.

He laughed. "Thank you."

After they danced for a while, she dragged Helena out on the floor, and the two girls spun in circles, laughing the entire time. Rose caught Kacey eyeing Helena a few times, but she said nothing to her friend, choosing instead to crack another joke that caused Helena to throw her head back and laugh.

It was nearing midnight when Rose began to grow tired. She left the ballroom and went upstairs. The area where the stairs reached was open, with hallways going off of it. The outer wall that was on the back of the house had doors that led out to a balcony rather than windows. There was a bench a short distance back from the doors, and she leaned against the back of it as she looked out the window. She could still hear the music from the ballroom as she looked out at the balcony and the grounds, both of which were covered in snow. Tiny lights twinkled all over, and she smiled to herself.

That was where Scorpius found her. He leaned against the back of the bench as well. "What are you doing up here?"

She shrugged. "I just needed a bit of a break from the party, that's all."

He nodded. They were silent for a few moments before he spoke. "I'm sorry Guy isn't here tonight."

She sighed. "You know, I should probably be sad that he isn't, but I'm not. I'm just sort of indifferent about the whole thing. As I said to Serena, I've lasted this long without a midnight kiss." She laughed softly a moment later and shook her head. "I'm sorry that Ariadne isn't here."

His voice was even as he said, "I'm not too torn up about it."

"Oh?" she asked, trying to ignore the way her stomach was turning.

"Yeah," he said. "Ari's great, but I dunno. I feel like I might have gotten into a relationship with her a bit too quickly."

"At least you're being honest with yourself," she said.

"I guess, yeah," he said. After a moment, he sighed. "Enough of this. Would you care to dance some more?" She turned to look at him. His silver eyes were sparkling in the low light of the room, and he held out his hand. When she didn't move, he smiled. "Up here, Red. We don't need to go back down to the ballroom."

She bit her lip. "Well, I guess that's okay, then."

She put her hand in his and let him pull her closer to him. They danced in silence for a while. Eventually, he spoke. "I was being serious earlier."

Her brow furrowed as she met his gaze. "Sorry?"

"You really do look lovely tonight," he said. "Of course, you always look lovely, but especially so tonight."

"I don't really know how I'm meant to take that," she said.

He smiled slightly. "Just take it for what it is."

"And what's that?" she asked.

Their faces were painfully close, their gazes locked. He was saved from responding by the sounds of the countdown from the ballroom. As it reached one, he whispered, "Happy New Year, Red." His breath was warm against her lips, and she swallowed.

It wouldn't matter if you asked her the next day, or in ten years. She always swore she didn't know who had really initiated the kiss.

All she knew was that the hand on the small of her back was warm and holding her against him, and that his other hand was tangled in her hair at the back of her head. She had her arms wrapped around his neck. He kissed her deeply, and when he bit her lower lip gently, she opened her mouth to his. The heels gave her just enough height that he didn't have to bend his head too much to kiss her, and she could press herself closer to him as he deepened the kiss. Everything felt very warm and very soft and very _right._

When they finally pulled apart, they stared at each other for a moment, and then Rose stiffened. "Oh, Merlin, what have I done?"

Scorpius still had his hand on her waist. "Red..."

She shook her head and stumbled back, regretting the loss of contact almost immediately. "This was a mistake."

"No, it was—"

She didn't look at him. "I need to go."

She could feel him watching her as she made her way down the stairs, and as soon as she was out of sight, she ducked into an empty room, shut the door, and slid down to the ground. Her hand shook as she pressed her fingers to her lips.

The kiss was the only clear memory she would have of that New Year's party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit's going down and I'm exhausted. I also seem to have a curious tendency to remember to update when I'm out of town for work and sitting in a hotel room.
> 
> One more pre-written chapter and then I'm going to actually have to start writing again. I'm sorry that updates haven't been more regular. I found out recently that I'm iron deficient, which explains why I've been so utterly exhausted for the last seven months, and while I have started taking supplements, it'll be a little while before I'm properly back to normal. I'm hoping that regaining my normal level of function will also allow me regain my desire to write, but we'll see how it goes.
> 
> Until next time x


	17. Chapter Sixteen

The morning they were meant to be going back to school, Rose found herself in her room trying to fit the last of her things into her trunk. She'd received a number of new books for Christmas and had every intention of taking them to school with her so that she would have something to read on the evenings that she spent in her room. It was a particularly good selection of novels, but that didn't change the fact that they didn't fit into her trunk quite as well as she had hoped they would. Everything had fit just fine when she came home for the holidays, but she hadn't accounted for the fact that she would probably have more that she would want to take back to school, and organizing everything so that it would fit comfortably in the trunk seemed to be an impossible task.

"Come on, you blasted thing," Rose muttered as she pressed on the lid of the trunk in an attempt to close it. "Don't do this to me." She spent a few moments trying in vain to close the trunk, only to swear and shake her head. "I'm such an idiot."

She pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the trunk. A quick Undetectable Extension Charm later, the lid of the trunk clicked shut. Rose smiled to herself and pocketed her wand before she turned towards her bed. As she did, the picture frame sitting in her nightstand caught her eye, and she sighed as she looked at it. Despite whatever it was that was going on with her and Scorpius, she hadn't been able to bring herself to flip the picture over so that she wouldn't have to look at it. It was nice for her to be able to see her friends smiling at her before she went to bed each night, even if one of them was one of the most confusing individuals to ever walk the planet.

Upon concluding that she hadn't forgotten anything, Rose allowed herself to fall backwards onto her bed. She stared at the ceiling, tracing patterns in the brushstrokes, as she attempted to figure out how she was going to deal with the events from earlier that week. It had just been a kiss, right? It was New Year's Eve, and people kissed other people on New Year's Eve. It was just a tradition, and Scorpius was just following it. She couldn't fault him for that, could she? If they'd been in the ballroom at the end of the countdown, there would have been multiple couples engaging in the same activity. There wasn't anything to say that anyone would have even noticed them if they'd been down there with everyone else. Merlin, the fact that he kissed her where he did meant that they were the only two who knew that it had happened. If she just acted normally, as though nothing had even happened, maybe the others wouldn't notice.

She shook her head and laughed a moment later. Who was she kidding? Someone was bound to notice eventually, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be worth it to try. If she could just keep them—mainly Serena—off the scent long enough, then she wouldn't have to worry about explaining it to anyone. In all honesty, she didn't know if she really could explain it. What was there to say? It was midnight on New Year's Eve, Scorpius kissed her, and she liked it a little bit more than she should have. That was her issue to deal with and something that she would find a way to manage. She lived with the boy, so they were going to have to come to some sort of agreement on the issue, and she'd be damn sure that they made their decision that night, because she was not going to sit around and wait for them to sort through the inevitable awkwardness.

She was still lying on her bed when Hermione came into the room. The sound of the door opening and closing made Rose sit up, but when she saw who it was, she let herself fall backwards onto the bed once more.

"Are you almost ready?" Hermione asked. "We're going to leave soon."

Rose nodded. "I have everything all packed up, yeah. I just need to shrink my trunk and I'll be all set."

"That's good to hear," Hermione said. She watched Rose for a few moments. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about before you leave? You've been a bit quiet lately."

Rose grabbed a pillow and sat up. She wrapped her arms around the pillow and crushed it to her chest so that she could rest her chin on top of it. "I really don't know, honestly."

Hermione's brows rose slightly. "Did something happen that I should know about?"

Biting her lip, Rose looked at Hermione for a moment before glancing down at her lap. "If I tell you, you have to promise that you won't say anything to Dad about it, because I don't think he'd be very happy to hear about it."

"I won't say anything, dear," Hermione said. "I know how your father can get about things, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Thanks," Rose said. She kept her gaze trained on her lap and the bed in front of her when she spoke again. "I did something that I probably shouldn't have done on New Year's Eve and I'm trying to figure out how to handle the aftereffects of that."

"And what is it that you did?" Hermione asked. "Is it something that would get you in trouble?"

"Not in the traditional sense of the word," Rose said. She winced. "I may or may not have kissed someone who wasn't my boyfriend, and I may or may not have liked it a little bit."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Who did you kiss?"

Rose released the pillow and covered her face with her hands. "Scorpius."

Despite the fact that her hands muffled her voice, the word was still plenty clear to Hermione, whose eyes widened as soon as she heard the name. "Really?"

"We were dancing, and then it was midnight," Rose said once she dropped her hands from her face. "I don't know, Mum, it just happened."

"I see," Hermione said. "Now, is your problem the fact that you kissed someone who is not your boyfriend, is it that you kissed Scorpius, or is it that you liked it?"

"I don't know," Rose said. "A little bit of everything, I guess." She blushed a moment later. "I can't believe I'm talking about this with you. You're my mother."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "And as your mother, it's my job to help you whenever you're having problems." She fell silent for a moment. "You're going to have to ask yourself what it is that you want here, Rosie. Do you want to stay with Guy and have a relationship with him? Do you want to maintain your friendship with Scorpius? Do you want to break up with Guy and pursue something romantic with Scorpius instead?"

"What?" Rose asked. "I can't believe you're even suggesting that."

Hermione smiled. "It took a war and the possibility of one or both of us dying for your father and me to get together. After that, I don't see a point in wasting time or being dishonest with yourself when it comes to who you want to be with."

"But what if I don't know?" Rose asked.

"Then you figure it out," Hermione said. "But once you've decided, you have to do something about it. It's not fair of you to make Guy wait while you try to figure out your feelings in regards to Scorpius. You'll have to at least make a decision about that soon, even if you don't decide what it is that you want from your relationship with Scorpius."

"I guess you're right," Rose said.

Hermione rested her hand on Rose's shoulder for a moment. "It happens." She smiled slightly. "You'll figure this out, Rosie. Don't stress over it too much. Boys are frustrating during their teenage years. Well, they're always frustrating, but especially then. It's going to be okay in the end, whatever happens, and whatever you choose… Scorpius is a lovely boy and I’m sure Guy is too." When Rose didn't say anything, Hermione stood up. "We're going to leave in a few minutes, so if you want to shrink your trunk and come downstairs, your father and I will be waiting."

With that, she left Rose sitting on the bed. As soon as the door clicked shut, Rose fell backwards once more, grabbed the pillow that she'd been clutching earlier, pressed it to her face, and let out a scream. Once the sound faded, she threw the pillow in the direction of her headboard. No matter how much she wished it otherwise, there really wasn't anything that she could do about her situation while she was sitting on her bed. With that knowledge firmly embedded in her mind, she got up, shrunk her trunk down to a size that would fit in her pocket, and went downstairs.

Ron and Hermione were both in the front hallway, coats on, when she stopped in front of them. Hermione smiled at her knowingly, and she returned the smile with a small one of her own before she fetched her own coat from the hall closet and slipped it on. As she did up the buttons on the front of it, she heard a clattering noise and looked up to see Hugo coming down the stairs, dragging his full-sized trunk behind him.

"You do realize that you could have just come over to my room and asked me to shrink that for you, right?" Rose asked.

He wrinkled his nose at her. Hermione waved her wand and his trunk shrank down until it was a tiny box hanging from his hand. He slid it into his coat pocket, and once it was safely stowed, Hermione spoke.

"Are you two ready to go?"

They both nodded, and Hermione and Ron led the way out of the house. Once they were safely outside of the gate that led to their front yard, Ron laid his hand on Hugo's shoulder. With a loud crack, they disappeared, only to reappear on Platform Nine and Three-Quarters a moment later.

Hugo wasted no time in bidding goodbye to Ron and Hermione before he rushed off to find his friends. Rose watched him go, shaking her head all the while, and once he'd disappeared from their sight, she turned to her parents. "You know that the both of you didn't have to come to see us off, right?"

"This is our last time putting you on the train for school, Rosie," Hermione said. "Did you really think that we were going to miss it?"

Ron pulled her into a brief hug. "Keep working these next few months, all right? And I expect to hear stories about your unsanctioned visit to Hogsmeade when you come home at the end of the term, so don't disappoint me."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.

"What?" he asked. "It's Weasley tradition. Merlin, 'Mione, you know we all did it. I won't have Rose leave school without experiencing it too."

"How did you even know that I haven't been down there?" Rose asked.

"James told me," Ron said. "He feels that you absolutely have to make it down there before the end of the year, and I agree with him, so I'm telling you to do it now."

"No promises," Rose said. She hugged them both and then stepped back. "I should probably go find everyone and make sure that they aren't getting into too much trouble."

"Go be Head Girl," Hermione said. She fixed Rose with a knowing stare. "Let me know if you need to talk about anything."

"I will," Rose said. "Bye, Mum, Dad."

She could feel them watching her as she made her way down the platform, but eventually when she was swallowed up by the crowd, she knew they'd left. They were both plenty busy, and while they wouldn't miss out on a chance to say goodbye to their children, they had work to do and they weren't going to stick around until the train left. She bore no ill feelings towards them because of that, and in many ways, she preferred it that way. Once they were gone, she didn't have to worry about them watching her, and she didn't have to bear the inevitable remarks that would come from Ron if he saw her talking to Scorpius. Her father may have accepted Al's friendship with Scorpius, and he may have understood that Scorpius and Rose had to have a working relationship, but that didn't mean that he liked it.

It took her a few minutes to spot her friends, but once she did she became very aware of the fact that not only was she the last to arrive, but the only place for her to stand was in between Scorpius and Serena. Holding her breath, she stepped into place between them. When she made eye contact with Scorpius, all he did was offer her a warm smile. She returned it with a smile of her own and released the breath she was holding. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to continue as though everything was normal after all. He didn't make any move to step closer to her, and she felt herself relax as the minutes wore on.

They made their way to the Heads' carriage long after that, and as Rose was walking through the doorway, someone called her name. She paused halfway into the compartment, and Scorpius slipped past her, his hand brushing against the small of her back as he attempted to keep from knocking either of them into the wall. With that contact burning in her mind, she stepped out into the corridor to greet Guy.

He moved to kiss her, but she turned her head at the last second so that his lips landed on her cheek. When she looked at him, his brow was furrowed, but in smoothed out a moment later as he smiled at her.

"Do you want to come spend some time with me in my compartment?" he asked. "I mean, we didn't see each other at all over the holidays."

Rose bit her lip and looked back at the compartment behind her for a moment before she shook her head. "Not right now. I need to stay here for a bit to make sure that none of the prefects come to us in a state of utter confusion." Guy's face fell, and she reached out to take his hand. She squeezed it once and gave him a small smile. "Maybe later. You're at the end of the train?"

He nodded once before she turned her back on him and returned to the Heads' carriage. She swore internally as soon as she walked in, because once again, the only available space for her was between Serena, who was having a rather deep conversation with Lysander, and Scorpius, who was chatting amiably with Alice about something. He looked up as Rose crossed the compartment to sit down next to him, and his voice was perfectly neutral when he spoke to her.

"What did Whitby want?"

Rose shrugged. "He just wanted to spend some time together, but I don't think it's really right for me to go anywhere until we're well underway. I don't want you to have to deal with any confused prefects on your own."

"Thank you for thinking of me," Scorpius said. "I appreciate that."

"It's the responsibility of the both of us, so it's just part of the job," Rose said. "But either way, you're welcome."

His eyes darkened when she brushed off his remark, and she tore her gaze away from his so that she could talk to Alice instead.

Over the next hour that passed, she was uncomfortably aware of his close proximity. Their arms brushed up against each other any time one of them moved, and he was casually pushing her hair out of her face as though nothing had ever happened between them. Well, it looked that way from the outside, anyway. Rose was more than conscious of the fact that his fingers were lingering against her skin longer than they ever had before, and he seemed to be looking for any excuse to touch her—reaching across her to get a deck of cards from Serena, brushing his hand against hers as he dealt her cards for Exploding Snap, flicking invisible pieces of lint off of her shirt. Eventually it was too much for her, and as soon as their game ended, she stood up.

"I'm going to go see Guy," she said when everyone else looked at her in confusion. "I'll be back in a bit."

Scorpius watched her as she made her way out of the compartment, and she breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed between them. It wasn't right, the effect he had on her. She just needed to get a little bit of space, that was all—at least, that was what she was going to tell herself, because facing the other option was too much for her then.

She passed a few people and said hello to them as she made her way to the opposite end of the train to find Guy's compartment. As she drew closer to each, each step began to feel like more of an effort, and halfway down the train, she was hit with a sudden realization. It made her pause for a few moments before she continued on, renewed vigor in her step. When she reached his compartment, she remained in the corridor. He noticed her after a moment and stood up to open the door.

"Come on in, Rose," he said, gesturing for her to step inside of the compartment that was filled with his friends.

"Can you come out here for a minute?" she asked. "I need to talk to you about something."

His face fell slightly but he stepped out into the corridor nonetheless, sliding the door shut as he did. "What's going on?"

She twisted her hands together behind her back as she attempted to sort through her thoughts. "I did a lot of thinking over the holidays, and I don't think that we can—"

"You're not breaking up with me, are you?" he asked.

She sighed. "No, not exactly, but I think we need to take a break for a while."

"What?" Guy asked. "Why? Did something happen while I was away?"

"I just have a lot of stuff to think about and things that I need to focus on, and I can't do that if I'm worrying about our relationship too," Rose said. Guy looked at her plaintively, and she took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain impassive. "It's just not fair to you if I stay with you when I'm going to entirely focused on my other responsibilities."

"But can't you take a break from them and spend time with me every now and then?" Guy asked. "We don't have to spend time together every day, Rose, but I—"

She cut him off. "It's going to be hard enough for me to make room for my friends, and given that they're my top priority after my schoolwork, I just don't think it's a good idea."

Guy took a shaky breath and then nodded. "If you think that's what you need, then okay. Let me know when you think things have quieted down enough for us to be something again, yeah?"

"Yeah," Rose said, though she couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be a good time for them ever again. "I'm sorry to do this now, but I just thought I should get it out of the way instead of dragging it out."

"I appreciate you telling me," Guy said. "And Rose?"

"Hmm?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Good luck with everything," he said.

"Thanks," she said. "I'll... See you in Charms, I guess."

He nodded again, and she smiled slightly before she turned around and walked away. Her smile faded as soon as she had moved into the next section of the train. Guy hadn't done anything wrong, and she couldn't help but feel sorry that he'd been dragged into her romantic entanglements. Still, as Hermione had said, it wasn't fair for Rose to stay with him if she wasn't sure that it was what she wanted. Regardless of what she did or didn't feel in regards to Scorpius, Guy didn't deserve to be stuck in a relationship with her while she figured everything else out. He deserved to be with someone who was going to want him for exactly what he was, and Rose had come to the conclusion that that person most likely wasn't her. Yes, he was perfectly lovely, but he didn't make her stomach turn over whenever she thought of him. That position belonged to someone else.

Sure enough, when she slid open the door to the Heads' carriage and met Scorpius's gaze, her stomach flipped. She offered up a shaky smile when the rest of the group looked at her and moved to take her seat in between Scorpius and Serena once more.

"You weren't gone for very long," Alice said. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm okay," Rose said. "I don't know if Guy really is, though."

Serena's eyes widened. "You didn't break up with him, did you?"

"Not exactly," Rose said. "We're just... On a break for a bit, that's all."

"Why?" Alice asked. "You two were doing so well."

"I'm just going to be really busy for a while and I didn't want to make him sit around through that," Rose said, well aware of the fact that Scorpius was watching her curiously, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "It's not fair of me to ask him to wait around for me if I'm not going to have time for him, you know?"

"I think you did the right thing."

Rose turned to smile at Helena, who was sitting in the opposite corner between Lorcan and Trent. "Thanks, Hel. Your support is appreciated."

She shrugged. "It's your life, and we should respect your decisions, whatever they are. That's what friends do."

"I agree with Helena," Lily said from her seat next to Lorcan. "It's not right of us to judge you for your decisions, especially where your personal life is concerned, unless you're seriously putting yourself in danger. I don't think I'd say that breaking up with Guy is particularly life-threatening, so you've got my backing on this too."

The look that she sent in Rose's direction said more than that, though, and Rose braced herself for the inevitable questioning that she was going to get from Lily. It wouldn't be that evening, because Lily wasn't the type to just pounce on her, but she knew there wasn't going to be any escaping her cousin's need to know what it was that had happened. Out of all of the family, though, Lily was probably the one Rose would trust most with the subject aside from Aunt Ginny. For some reason, the youngest Potter child was incredibly good at keeping secrets, and she'd never shared any of the things that Rose had told her over the course of their lives—at least, not without permission.

A few of the others made comments, and eventually Lily cleared her throat, causing everyone to fall silent. "As much as I'm sure Rose appreciates the support from all of us, there's no reason for us to keep talking about it. It happened, it's over, and if she chooses to come to one of us to talk about it, that's her choice to make."

"Thanks, Lil," Rose said.

Lily nodded and smiled in response, and before long, another game of Exploding Snap was underway.

When they finally got back to Hogwarts, Rose followed Alice, Serena, and Helena up to the girls' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. After the way that Scorpius had been looking at her during the train ride, she didn't fancy being alone with him in their dormitory, and the others weren't exactly averse to her company. Rather, they discussed Serena's budding relationship with Lysander on the way up the spiral staircase, and focusing on that allowed Rose to forget about a certain blond someone for a little while. It was a welcome distraction, and she found herself making just as many comments on the matter as Alice, while Helena remained her usual quiet self.

The dormitory was empty when they entered it, and it only took a few moments for Alice, Serena, and Helena to pull their trunks out of their pockets and restore them to their original size. Serena's was threatening to burst, and Rose laughed when she saw it.

"What's so funny?" Alice asked.

Rose nodded her head in the direction of Serena's trunk. "I couldn't even get my trunk closed this morning until I put an Undetectable Extension Charm on it. You might want to think about that the next time you use that thing, Rena."

"You've probably got a point, but I wasn't thinking about that this morning," Serena said.

"Clearly," Alice said. She grinned when Serena made a face. "Hey, at least over-packing isn't really as much of a problem when you're a wizard. Imagine what it would be like if we were Muggles and stuck with those—what are they, Rose?"

"Suitcases," Rose said. "And you can just as easily charm one of those as a trunk, and they're on wheels. I don't know why wizards haven't bothered to put trunks on wheels yet. It would make life so much easier for people who are underage who can't shrink them down to a more easily managed size."

"As we know, wizards don't always think logically," Helena said.

"Truer words have never been spoken," Alice said.

"Well, they probably have, but in this conversation, definitely not," Rose said.

As they continued to talk, Kacey and Drew entered the room. Drew deposited her trunk at the foot of her bed and then left the room, saying something about Quidditch on her way out. Kacey started unpacking, and Helena glanced her way every now and then. Eventually, Rose sighed.

"Just go talk to her, would you?" Rose asked, careful to keep her voice low.

"I can't," Helena said.

"Yes, you can," Serena said. "Just get it over with. There's no sense in putting it off. If you want us to, we'll go wait out on the staircase or something."

"No, she'll notice then," Helena said. She looked over at Kacey, who was humming a Muggle song that Rose recognized to herself as she folded her clothes. "Should I really?"

"Yes," chorused Rose, Alice, and Serena.

Helena took a deep breath. "Okay."

She made her way over to where Kacey stood, and as soon as they began to talk, Alice, Serena, and Rose pretended to be having their own conversation, though they were all watching the pair in their peripheral vision.

After a few minutes, a wide smile formed on Kacey's face. She pressed a kiss to Helena's cheek, and a moment later, Helena returned to her friends, smiling hugely.

"I take it that went well, then?" Alice asked.

"We're going to go to Hogsmeade together on the next trip," Helena said. "And she knows it's a date."

Rose couldn't help but smile at the expression on Helena's face. Despite everything that was going on in her own life, it was nice to see a friend so happy, especially after how much Helena had been agonizing over the whole thing at the beginning of the holidays. Of course, it helped that Kacey wasn't a boy and thus wasn't completely dense when it came to all matters concerning emotion, but it was still sweet.

They made their way down to dinner after everyone finished unpacking. Rose still had her trunk in her pocket, but she wasn't terribly concerned about it. She would just unpack that evening once she got back to her dormitory. It was perfect, because it meant that she wouldn't have to be out in the common room, therefore minimizing her contact with Scorpius. That wasn't to say that she couldn't handle being around him on her own, because she could, but it was easier with other people around. Besides, she wasn't really sure if she wanted to spend the evening being social anyway. They'd been on the train all day, and it would be nice to just curl up in bed with one of her new books for a while before she went to sleep.

Scorpius and Al were already halfway through their meal when Rose sat down, and it didn't take them long after that to get up and leave. She didn't make a point of watching them go, choosing instead to listen to a story that Maddie and Trent were taking turns telling about something that had happened to them a few days before. It made everyone laugh, and when Rose finally left the Great Hall, she still had a smile on her face.

The castle was quiet as she made her way up to the sixth floor, since the majority of the students were either still at dinner or already back at their dormitories. There wasn't silence, exactly, but the only noise was the sound of Rose's feet making contact with the floor and the occasional greeting or conversation from the portraits. She sighed heavily as she walked up the staircase between the third and fourth floors, releasing some of the tension from her body. It was nice to be by herself for a while after being surrounded by people all day, especially given the room that she would be walking into in a few short minutes.

As she made her way down the sixth floor corridor, the door to the Heads' dormitory opened, and Ariadne came out, tears running down her cheeks. Rose stopped walking as the Hufflepuff came towards her.

"Ariadne, what happened?" Rose asked.

Ariadne only paused long enough to shake her head. "Ask _him._ "

With that, she rushed off in the direction of the stairs. Rose continued to the dormitory. The tapestry had reappeared, and she murmured the password so that it would turn into the door once more. As soon as the solid wood appeared in front of her, she put her hand on the knob and pushed the door open.

When she walked into the common room, Scorpius was standing in front of the fire, his hands tucked loosely into his pockets. He turned around as Rose entered the room, warmth in his gaze as he looked at her. She dropped her coat on the couch before she came to a halt a few steps away from him and crossed her arms over her chest. He raised his eyebrows as she stared at him.

She didn't give him a chance to say anything before she spoke. "What in Merlin's name did you do to Ariadne? I just passed her running down the hall, crying."

"I broke up with her," he said, his voice soft.

Rose's eyes widened. "But why? She didn't do anything wrong."

He stepped closer to her. "You can't think of a reason, Red?"

"Not a good one, no," Rose said as he took another step closer to her. Her gaze flicked to his mouth and then back up to his eyes. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

He stopped directly in front of her, reaching out to uncross her arms and take her hands in his. With his gaze still locked on hers, he lifted each of her hands to his mouth and brushed a kiss across the backs of them. "Are you sure you want me to do that?"

"Give me a reason, Scorp," Rose said.

He released her hands, and before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers.

His grip on her was firm, but she wrapped her arms around his neck nonetheless, trying to pull him even closer to her than he already was. She felt him smile slightly as she pushed her body so that it was flush against his, but he never broke the kiss. Instead, his arms tightened around her waist so that he could lift her up instead of bending down to kiss her. He carried her to the couch and set her on the back of it, and she threaded her fingers through his hair.

Eventually, after how long she couldn't say, they broke the kiss for air. He caressed her cheek and looked at her, his expression serious.

" _That_ is why I broke up with Ariadne."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
> 
> (I'm almost done writing Chapter Seventeen. If all goes well it'll go up on Monday next week.)


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Unable to respond to Scorpius’s admission, Rose simply stared at him. He was watching her, his silver eyes wide, and her hands slipped from his hair to rest on his shoulders. There was something in his expression that she couldn’t identify— _you can’t or you just don’t_ want _to?_ whispered the traitor part of her mind—and she swallowed hard. His grip on her waist loosened, uncertainty making its way onto his face, and for a moment it was as though she was looking at the boy she’d seen on September 1st when they were just coming to Hogwarts, the one whose nervousness was undeniable no matter how defiant he pretended to be.

“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head as his shoulders slumped. “I shouldn’t have… I’ll just go.”

He made to step back, only for Rose to catch his arm. The motion made him look at her, and she pulled him down to meet her once again. She could feel the tension leave his body as she kissed him, and as much as she knew she shouldn’t—as much as she tried to remind herself that for all intents and purposes, she did still have a boyfriend—she couldn’t help but feel like what was happening was just inherently _right_.

When they broke apart, Scorpius rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. She closed hers too, not taking her hand from its position on the back of his neck. A moment later, she felt him lace his fingers through those of her free hand, and then everything was quiet save for the occasional crack from the logs in the fireplace.

Eventually, she felt him shift. He straightened, her hand falling away from his neck as he did, and she opened her eyes to see him standing there, something dark in his gaze as he looked at her. Her breath caught as he lowered his head, but rather than find her mouth again, he brushed a gentle kiss across her cheek.

“Goodnight, Rose,” he said, his voice soft.

He slipped his hand out of hers as he spoke, and when he turned to leave, she didn’t try to stop him. Instead, she watched him go. Just before he closed the door to his bedroom, she caught a glimpse of him running his hand through his hair, further ruffling the mess she’d left it in.

As soon as the door shut, she fell backwards onto the couch cushions.

“Fuck.”

When she woke up the next morning, all she could do was stare at the ceiling. There was no class to get ready for, as they’d returned to school on a Saturday, and leaving her bed meant having to face what had happened the night before, so the logical solution was obviously to stay exactly where she was and ignore everything until she had no other choice—well, that was what she wanted to believe, anyway.

She gave herself a few minutes to wallow, and once she got up, she crept over to her door and pressed her ear against it. There was no sound out in the common room, and after concluding that Scorpius was either still asleep or absent from the dormitory entirely, she pulled a clean jumper and a pair of jeans out of her trunk. Silently reminding herself to unpack later, she changed into the clothes and slipped on some shoes. After a quick run into the bathroom to brush her teeth and pull a brush through her hair, she cracked her bedroom door so that she could peer out into the common room.

It was empty, and when she stepped out into it, it was to see that Scorpius’s door was wide open. From the common room, she could see that his bed had been made, and she glanced around the empty dormitory before making her way out to the corridor.

She pulled her hair up into a messy bun as she went down to the Great Hall. Halfway there, she heard someone call her name. When she turned around, Lily was hurrying down the steps from the direction of Gryffindor Tower, and she tilted her head to look at Rose once they were next to each other, her brow furrowing.

“You look tired,” Lily said. “Did something happen last night?”

“I just had trouble sleeping, that’s all,” Rose said.

“Coming back can be tough, huh?” Lily said.

A pair of silver eyes flashed in Rose’s mind, but all she did was nod. “Yeah, it can.”

They started off down the steps again, both the chill in the air and the exhaustion Rose felt keeping them quiet. It wasn’t until they were nearly to the Great Hall that Rose spoke again.

“It’s so odd to think that this is my last time coming back from the winter holidays.”

“It’ll be awfully quiet next year without you and Al and Scorpius around to keep us amused,” Lily said. Her eyebrows rose slightly when Rose tensed at Scorpius’s name. “Did he do something?”

“We can talk about this later,” Rose said. When Lily raised her eyebrows, Rose sighed. “I promise, Lil.”

They made their way to their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, where everyone else had already gathered. Serena looked half-asleep, though she didn’t seem to be anywhere near as terrible as Rose felt. Helena, Beck, and Kacey were engaged in a discussion, which Rose guessed probably had something to do with Potions judging by the way Helena was waving her hands, while Al, Scorpius, and Drew were talking about what could only be Quidditch if the expression on Al’s face was anything to go by. Maddie sat next to Al, the glazed expression on her face doing plenty to reveal why she didn’t seem to be saying much. Alice and Lorcan were chatting with each other across the table, and Trent and Lysander’s bowed heads and smiles spelled nothing but trouble.

“I hope you realize that I’m not going to let that be an empty promise,” Lily said, taking the seat next to Lorcan.

Rose sat down in the only place available which wouldn’t put her halfway down the table from her friends and family: directly across from Scorpius. She reached for the toast without meeting his gaze, looking at Lily instead. “I figured as much.”

“What isn’t going to be an empty promise?” Lorcan asked.

Tensing, Rose glanced at Lily, who simply smiled.

“Oh, Rose has a jacket that I’ve been wanting to borrow for ages and she finally said that she’d consider letting me make use of it,” Lily said. “It’s just some good, old-fashioned, cousin-style negotiations. Don’t worry about it.”

“What she said,” Rose said. “Hey, Al, mind passing me the sausages?”

“Sure,” Al said, only to pause with his hand halfway to the platter when he made eye contact with her. “Merlin, Rose, you look half-dead.”

“I didn’t sleep well,” Rose said. “There was… A lot on my mind.”

“You should’ve told me,” Scorpius said. “We could’ve snuck down to the kitchens to get hot chocolate or something.”

She was unable to ignore him, but much to her surprise, there was nothing abnormal about his expression when she met his gaze, nothing to suggest that the previous night had contained anything out of the ordinary. Instead, he was looking at her with the same expression of concern that he’d turned on all of their friends at one point or another— _it’s been directed at you more than anyone else_ , her mind whispered—and she shrugged.

“Maybe next time.”

She could feel Lily watching them, but the sensation disappeared a moment later when Trent and Lysander began to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Alice asked.

“We were just debating the merits of trying to have a snowball fight after breakfast,” Trent said.

“I tried to remind him that that’s a terrible idea because anyone with Weasley or Potter blood automatically has an advantage over the rest of us,” Lysander said.

“He’s clearly wrong,” Trent said.

“I’m clearly right and it’d be hilarious to watch it happen,” Lysander said.

Al glanced across the table, making eye contact with Rose. “I dunno, Rose. Are we going to stand for this?”

Despite herself, Rose smiled. “I don’t think we can, no.”

“Well, I’m in,” Lily said. “I won’t have you besmirching the Potter name or our legendary snowball fighting skills, Alexander.”

“What legendary snowball fighting skills?” Trent asked, grinning.

“You do remember who their mother is, right?” Scorpius asked, reaching for a piece of toast. “Whether they play Quidditch or not, and they all do, do you really think that Ginny Weasley’s children would grow up not knowing how to throw?”

“Mum would’ve been heartbroken if any one of us hadn’t learned how to pass,” Al said.

“Forgot any one of us,” Lily said. “She would’ve been heartbroken if any member of our entire family couldn’t at least toss a Quaffle decently. Merlin, Molly and Lucy can still play better than half the aspiring Quidditch stars at this school and they don’t even practice regularly.”

“See, this is how we know you didn’t grow up around Weasleys, Trent,” Lorcan said. “If you had you would know so much better.”

“I spent enough time with Victoire,” Trent said.

“It’s one thing to see them cause they’re hanging out with one of your siblings,” Lorcan said.

“It’s another thing to grow up getting your arse kicked at backyard Quidditch games because they knew how to outplay the rest of us by the age of three,” Lysander said.

“The only reason I’m even mildly competent as a player is because I was always trying to keep up with them,” Lorcan said.

Lily grinned and pressed a swift kiss to Lorcan’s cheek. “See, this is why I like you.”

He smiled at her, and the softness in his eyes as he looked at Lily made Rose shift uncomfortably in her seat. She’d seen that same expression directed towards her more than once, and it hadn’t been coming from Guy. It wasn’t something that she’d ever paid attention to—even when she hadn’t been friends with him, Scorpius had always looked at her with what could only be described as affection, but in recent years…

She shook her head. Al glanced at her and raised his eyebrows.

“Are you not going to play?”

“What?” Rose asked. “Oh, no. I’m definitely playing. I was just thinking about something.”

“What?” Serena asked.

Rose smiled weakly. “The logistics of getting my jacket back from Lily when I know that she’ll probably just keep it.”

“At least you’re honest about the reality of the situation,” Lily said. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Rose, and after a moment she gave the smallest nod. “We’ll discuss it tonight.” Her serious expression faded to one of mischief then, a wicked smile appearing on her face. “I have to remind a certain someone of how much of a mistake it is to challenge the Weasley-Potter cohort first.”

“Well, I’m definitely joining in on this disaster,” Scorpius said. “I’m ready to see Trent get his arse handed to him.” He glanced down the table towards Helena and Kacey. “Any of the rest of you lot going to play?”

There were murmurs of assent from the rest of the group, and after breakfast, everyone hurried up to their dormitories. Too familiar with the way that Weasley-Potter snowball fights tended to go, Rose bundled herself into as many layers as possible without restricting freedom of movement and added a warming charm. She made her way down to the entrance hall, where Alice, Lysander, and Drew already waited by the doors.

“You sure you want to get yourself into this?” Rose asked, looking at Drew.

Drew grinned. “Absolutely. I’ll take any extra practice I can get for Quidditch.”

“That’s what I like to hear, Barnaby.”

Rose turned to see Scorpius walking towards them. He came to a halt beside her and knocked his elbow against hers, though he didn’t look at her. Alice glanced at each of them in turn, her brow furrowed. Rose shrugged when Alice met her gaze, knowing that the dark-haired girl wouldn’t pry even if she could tell that something was off. Sure enough, Alice responded to Rose’s shrug with a slight nod, and Rose glanced down at her feet as Drew and Scorpius began to discuss the next Quidditch match.

Once everyone else had joined them, they made their way out onto the grounds. Snow was still falling, adding to the already heavy blanket that covered the grass and the bare limbs of the trees. Ice had formed around the edges of the Black Lake and the water moved rhythmically at the center, showing no signs of the lake’s large tentacled occupant. The sky was so heavily clouded that it almost blended into the ground on the horizon, and Rose inhaled deeply, the cold air crisp as it entered her lungs.

“Lovely weather, isn’t it?” Kacey asked, grinning when Rose looked at her.

“I don’t always like winter all that much, but on days like this…” Rose trailed off.

“It makes me want to curl up by the fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a book,” Alice said.

“And we all know you would do that instead of joining us if a certain someone hadn’t graduated already,” Serena said.

Alice laughed. “I think Declan would insist on being out here with you lot, so I’d probably be here either way.”

“Fair enough,” Serena said.

“So how are we splitting this up?” Al asked.

Lily glanced at Scorpius. “How about you do the honors, oh remarkable Quidditch captain?”

“Why not,” Scorpius said, shrugging. “Let’s see…” He looked at each member of their group. “Al, you head up one side and I’ll head the other. Drew, you’re with me. Lorcan, you’re with Al. I’ll let you have Lily on your side, Al, and Lysander, you’re with me.”

“Trying to split up the Quidditch team?” Lily asked.

“Pretty much,” Scorpius said. “I figured you lot can have the extra player since I’m worth two.” Lily made a face and Scorpius grinned. “Alice, you go with Al, and Serena, you’re with me. Helena—”

“Al?” Helena asked.

Scorpius nodded. “Exactly. Kacey, you’re with me. Maddie, you’re with Al, and Trent, you’re with me. Beck, you go with Al, and Rose—”

“With you,” Rose said. “Should I be offended that I was chosen last?”

“Not at all,” Scorpius said.

A shiver ran down her spine as they locked gazes. They stared at each other for several moments before Lily cleared her throat. “So are we doing this or not?”

“Yeah,” Scorpius said, tearing his gaze from Rose’s. “Who wants to walk the line for the sides?”

“I’ve got it,” Beck said. He ran towards the lake and returned in their direction, dragging his feet to create a basic border in the snow. “Do we want a no man’s land?”

Al shrugged. “Why not? I’ve got the other side.”

He went approximately ten meters past Beck’s line and drew another one. When he returned to the group, Scorpius nodded.

“Ten minutes to get defenses set up as per usual?” Lily asked.

“You know the drill,” Scorpius said. “We’ll take this side. You lot take that one.”

Once Al’s team had made it to the other side of no man’s land, Scorpius raised his hand. Al raised his in return, and after a quick glance at his watch, Scorpius pulled everyone into a huddle.

“All right, you lot,” Scorpius said. “Trent, let’s have you, Serena, and Lysander go build some shelter for us. Kacey, I need you, Drew, and Rose to get started stockpiling snowballs behind the walls.”

“What about you?” Serena asked.

“I’m going to do a little bit of both,” Scorpius said. “Any objections?” When no one said anything, he nodded. “Right, let’s do this.”

Much to Rose’s relief, Scorpius followed Trent, Serena, and Lysander as they moved off to start building walls. After a moment’s discussion, Drew followed them as well to get a basic pile of snowballs built close to their defenses. Kacey and Rose went back behind some of the trees that stood on their side of the playing field and began to pack snowballs, stacking them on top of one another into pyramids protected by the tree trunks.

When Scorpius called time several minutes later, Rose and Kacey had managed to stockpile a reasonable amount of ammunition that matched the amount Drew and Scorpius had stacked directly behind the walls that Trent, Serena, and Lysander had built. The teams took their places and as soon as Scorpius and Al called for the start, snowballs started flying.

While the Weasley-Potter clan did have magical snowball fights, there was a lot to be said for a Muggle-style, non-magical battle. Not only did it test everyone’s actual aim and throwing abilities, it also brought with it a comforting level of mindlessness. Sure, there was strategizing and attempts to figure out how to land as many hits as possible, but the focus was one-track and let Rose forget about the things that were bothering her.

At least, she was able to forget about the things that were bothering her until over two hours into their game. They’d taken a quarter of no man’s land, building their defenses up as they came closer to toppling Al’s, and Rose had been sent back to gather more snowballs from their supply within the trees. She had just finished collecting an armful when she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she had just enough time to glimpse the blond-and-silver blur that was Scorpius before he tackled her to the ground.

They collided and toppled into the snow as chunks of snow and ice came cascading out of the tree branches directly above where Rose had been standing. Scorpius was a warm weight above Rose, though she could tell he was holding himself off of her, and there was nothing but concern in his expression as his eyes darted across her face.

“You all right?” he asked.

She nodded, swallowing hard and attempting to slow her breathing as she glanced at the pile that formed where she had stood. “Yeah.”

“I could tell Lorcan was aiming for the trees and I tried to tell him not to but the bloody idiot wouldn’t listen to me,” Scorpius said. Bracing himself on one arm, he lifted his hand to brush the snow off of Rose’s shoulders, though he made no move to stand. “You’re sure you’re fine?”

She bit her lip. “I’m sure.”

“Good,” Scorpius said, warmth lacing his voice. His gaze flicked from her eyes to her mouth and back again, and just before she could close her eyes, she heard Al’s voice.

“You two okay?”

Scorpius pushed himself up in one smooth motion and offered Rose his hand. She let him pull her to her feet, and once she was standing, he draped his arm across her shoulders so that she remained tucked against his side. As much as part of her wanted to yell at him that she was fine and he needn’t be so overprotective, a bigger part of her couldn’t deny that her heart was beating a million miles a minute from the near miss and, confusion over her feelings or not, Scorpius’s embrace was one of the more comforting things that she knew.

“I think it’s time to call it quits,” Scorpius said as Al reached them.

“You’re not hurt, Rose?” Al asked, panic filling his eyes at Scorpius’s words.

Rose smiled shakily. “Just a little rattled.”

“Good,” Al said. “Your parents would kill me if anything happened to you.” He raised his voice. “Lorcan, good news. You didn’t kill her, you complete and utter prat.”

Lorcan came jogging up then, a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, Rose.”

“No harm, no foul,” Rose said. “I do think I’d like to go inside, though. I don’t have any desire to risk getting a concussion.”

“Fair enough,” Lorcan said. He glanced back over his shoulder. “Come on, you lot, we’re done for the day.”

The rest of the day went much the same as any other until after dinner. Rose and Scorpius had settled on the couch in their common room with mugs of hot chocolate, neither saying much. Scorpius didn’t seem overly inclined to bring up the night before or their almost-kiss earlier that day, and Rose wasn’t about to broach the subject either. Somehow, despite the lingering tension of those moments, the routine act of being together without discussion was enough to keep the situation from becoming uncomfortable. When the clock struck eight, Scorpius set his mug aside and stood, folding the blanket he’d been using and setting it on his seat.

“The guys wanted to spend some time together tonight since we don’t get a ton of time together with just the lot of us, what with the whole Head Boy thing,” Scorpius said in answer to Rose’s questioning look. “Okay if I go?”

“I’m not your keeper,” Rose said. “You can do whatever you want.” When Scorpius’s face fell, she smiled. “Really, Scorp, it’s fine.” She glanced at the clock and sighed. “Lily should be by any minute anyway. We have some things to talk about.”

Sure enough, the door to the common room swung open then and Lily stepped through. Her eyebrows rose at the sight of the pair, and after a brief glance from Rose to her cousin, Scorpius nodded.

“I’ll leave you two to it then,” he said. He paused when he was halfway across the common room to glance back over his shoulder. “I’ll be back later, Red.”

Rose nodded in response, and after giving her a small smile, Scorpius left the dormitory. As soon as the door clicked shut, Lily moved to take Scorpius’s former seat, tucking her legs beneath her body as she sat down.

“What’s going on with the two of you?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rose said.

“Don’t pull that with me, Rose,” Lily said. “I know when you’re lying, remember? Something’s up.”

“It’s nothing important,” Rose said.

“Hardly,” Lily said. “You got weird when I mentioned Scorpius this morning and you weren’t looking at him at all through breakfast and then it took you guys way longer to get back up after he tackled you—my apologies for my boyfriend’s supreme idiocy, by the way—and you started acting more normal with him but not the whole way there after that and you’re going to try to tell me that it’s not important?” Rose glanced down at the floor and Lily shook her head. “I’ve seen you two fight, I’ve seen him ignore you, I’ve seen you ignore him, but I’ve never seen whatever this is. Spill it, Rose.”

Rose took a deep breath. “If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anybody.” Lily nodded when Rose glanced at her, and Rose lifted her chin. “I mean it, Lily. You can’t tell Maddie or Al or Lorcan or anyone.”

“You and I both know that I’m better at keeping secrets than anyone else in this family,” Lily said. “I swear I won’t tell anyone.”

Rose glanced at the door to the common room as though to make sure that no one was about to come through it, and after a moment, she looked back at Lily. “Scorpius and I—that is, me and Scorp—we might have—”

“What?” Lily asked, cutting her off. “Stolen something? Snuck down to Hogsmeade without the rest of us? Are in a secret relationship?” Rose turned her gaze to the floor at Lily’s last guess, and Lily gasped. “Rose, you didn’t.”

“Not quite,” Rose said, her voice quiet. “We’re not in a relationship or anything, but…” She could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes and she swallowed hard. “He kissed me over the holidays, and then again last night, and he almost kissed me again during the snowball fight, and I don’t know what to do, Lil.”

“So that’s why he broke up with Ariadne,” Lily said, her eyes wide. “Is that why you told Guy you wanted a break?”

“Yeah,” Rose said. She bit her lip, twisting her blanket in her hands. “Mum said I need to figure it out and that it wasn’t fair for me to string him along and she’s right, it’s not fair at all, but I don’t know what I want, Lil, and I don’t know if I can just break up with him when he might be the one I really do want to be with.”

“I’m going to be blunt here, so you’ll have to forgive me,” Lily said. “Break up with him.”

“What?” Rose asked.

“Just listen for a second, all right?” Lily asked. “One of the reasons I’m saying that is because I agree with your mum. You owe it to Guy to cut him loose now, not make him wait while you figure it out, and just going on a break isn’t enough to do right by him.”

Rose swallowed hard. “What’s the other reason?”

“Scorpius is in love with you,” Lily said, her tone matter-of-fact. When Rose tensed, Lily shrugged. “Well, maybe he’s not in love with you. I’m not in the prat’s head, so I can’t say exactly what he’s feeling, but he feels differently about you than he does about the rest of us.”

“The rest of you are in relationships,” Rose said.

“Drew’s not,” Lily said. “And even if the rest of us weren’t—even _when_ we weren’t—he’s always been different with you than he is with anyone else.”

“If by different you mean he lives to torment me, then sure,” Rose said.

“You and I both know he hasn’t been like that in a long time,” Lily said. “He worries about you and pays attention to you more than he does anyone else, and he’s more tactile with you. I’ve never seen him touch any of us as much as he does you, and I’ve been friendly with him longer than you have. I’m not going to say that his life revolves around you, but the space in it that you occupy is very much yours and there’s a reason for that.” She laughed softly a moment later. “And then there’s the other side of it, of course.”

“What other side?” Rose asked.

“You’re in love with him too,” Lily said. “You can deny it as much as you want, and I know you will, but have you ever stopped to consider that the reason why you’re having such a hard time with this is because you’ve always said you’re not interested and maybe that isn’t true anymore?”

“He’s my friend,” Rose said.

“So what?” Lily asked. “Lorcan’s my friend. Actually, truth be told, as much as I love Maddie, Lorcan’s my best mate. Teddy is Vic’s best mate, and Sarah is James’s. Mum and Dad are best mates too. That’s what makes a relationship work.” Rose stayed quiet and Lily sighed. “I’ll just ask you one question, Rose. If you were going to wake up tomorrow morning and had to choose between never seeing or speaking to Guy or Scorpius ever again, who would still be with you at lunchtime?”

“Scorpius,” Rose whispered.

“Exactly,” Lily said.

Rose bit her lip. “I have to break up with Guy, don’t I?”

“You don’t have to do anything, but if I were you, I would,” Lily said. “And for what it’s worth, Rose?”

“Yeah?” Rose asked.

“Even when the two of you are fighting or avoiding each other or being generally weird, you always look like you’re at home when you’re together,” Lily said. After a few moments of silence, she nodded. “I want cake. Do you want cake?”

Despite all of the thoughts running through her head, Rose smiled. “I could go for some cake, yeah.”

Lily grinned. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not super in love with this chapter, but given that my muse has been absolutely gone for months on end and I haven't written anything of this length in what is probably about a year, I will live with it (and possibly go back and fix it later). My apologies for no updates last week or the week before—things got crazy with work and I didn't have time for things—and it's almost midnight here, but it's still Monday, so I'm technically on time. 
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and comments! They motivate me and make it easier to push through the ridiculous levels of writer's block that I've been experiencing for far too long. 
> 
> Until next time x

**Author's Note:**

> The first ~fifteen chapters of this story were written in mid-2014, and while I have revised them somewhat, they aren't quite the same standard as the writing I do now. With that being said, they're acceptable enough for me to post them. This story has languished long enough, so it finally gets to see the light of day.
> 
> If the references to certain OCs are confusing, that is because this fic is set in a wider 'verse that was first home to a set of Tedtoire fics which are still up on FF.net. I wrote them several years ago and they need some serious reworking, so until I get the chance to rewrite those, this fic will stand alone on here. If you have a pressing need to know who someone is, just comment and I'll be happy to fill you in.
> 
> Also, I reject the vast majority of post-DH publication information that JK Rowling has published. The next!gen 'verses I write are my own creation and I take certain liberties with them, so bear that in mind.
> 
> Thanks for reading, guys, and I hope you enjoy!


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